Semper Invicta
by NEIWIS
Summary: Sequel to the Ultionem trilogy. Reyna is trying to put the pieces of her broken life back together and prevent the Amazons from going to war. Annabeth is trying to keep Reyna from killing her friends. Clarisse just wants to know what the words on her arm means. With the revelation of a new threat, the three realize they will have to work together to save the world once again.
1. Murum Aries Attigit

**This is my sequel to the Ultionem trilogy. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rick Riordan.**

* * *

Reyna knew she was dreaming when she found herself in a temple. Of course, she immediately recognized the temple. It belonged to the Fates. Reyna looked around and found Atropos watching her.

"Reaper," Atropos greeted. She rocked back and forth in her chair. "You seem to be in quite a predicament."

"Which one?" Reyna questioned. Atropos laughed. She seemed amused. It was true though. Reyna was getting herself into a lot of trouble.

Reyna glanced at the word exile on her arm. She swallowed painfully and spoke, "Have you been able to do anything about the bounty?"

"You will have to appeal to Artemis personally," Atropos answered. Reyna closed her eyes. In exchange for information from Circe, Reyna had killed a few Hunters of Artemis. They had been attendants for Circe.

Reyna sat against a pillar and tried to think. She was completely exhausted and just wanted to have a peaceful sleep. Of course, she wouldn't be able to since Atropos wanted to talk to her. Reyna stared ahead.

"You haven't been talking to your therapist," Atropos began. Reyna didn't answer. She would meet the Fate's eyes either. Reyna didn't need a therapist. She didn't need to talk to anyone about her schizophrenia or PTSD.

"I've been busy," Reyna lied. Atropo didn't buy it for one second. Reyna looked down at the ground. "Between the Hunters, your list, and the Arimaspi, I haven't had time."

"I told you that your mental health was more important than the list," Atropos countered. "After you are done with your current situation, you will visit the therapist."

"Yes ma'am," Reyna muttered. She swallowed painfully and waited. Atropos didn't say anything. Reyna looked up. "Anything else ma'am?"

Atropos still didn't answer. Reyna sighed and looked at her knee. She traced the scar from the rogue Amazon attack that happened on her birthday. That attack led to so much more. Hylla had gone to Circe because she was no longer confident in her position as queen of the Amazons.

Circe had charmspeaked Hylla into stealing Mars' shield. That forced Reyna, Piper, and Annabeth to go on a quest to retrieve the shield. The prophecy that they received for the quest was from the Fates. That should have tipped Reyna off that something big was going to happen.

The stealing of the shield was just to distract everyone. Ouranos wanted to rise in peace, and he was able to. He started a war that would destroy Reyna's life.

Reyna's hand moved from her knee to her lip. She rubbed the scar on her lip as the war ran through her mind. First, they had to rescue Minerva, Mars, and Bellona. They had been kidnapped for various reasons.

After that, Reyna found the pieces to Kronos' sword and reforged it. Her attention then turned to keeping Ouranos from raising his wife. That led to them to the temple that Reyna standing in.

Her decision to go to the temple had cost her a quarter of the legion, and it led to Camp Jupiter falling. Reyna blamed herself completely for it. A barbarian by the name of Odovacer led the attack. He gave Reyna the scar on her lip as well.

Reyna also learned that Ouranos wanted to use her as a vessel because of how powerful her bloodline was and because she was destined to destroy him. Reyna lowered her hand and closed her eyes. She remembered trying to kill Jason because his destiny called for him to destroy Jupiter.

When Reyna tried to kill Jason, it backfired because of Piper. Her charmspeak had distracted Reyna which left her vulnerable for a stab in the chest. Atropos was in the middle of cutting her string, but the Fate was kidnapped by Ouranos before she could finish it.

A thread was the only thing keeping the two pieces of Reyna's string together. Reyna had returned to Camp Half-Blood with the knowledge that no one could die until Atropos was freed. Her former mentor decided that was the opportune time to attack her and steal Kronos' blade.

The daughter of Bellona stood and walked towards the fountain in the middle of the temple. She stared at her reflection. Ouranos was going to use Kronos' blade to sacrifice Atropos and use her as a vessel for Gaea. Reyna interrupted the ritual.

Reyna had turned the ritual on its head. She had done the same steps that Ouranos had, but she got to the altar before him. Reyna spilled her own blood to become a vessel for Kronos.

From there, the only thing Reyna could do was watch as Ouranos was destroyed. She then watched Kronos turn his wrath towards Percy, Annabeth, Piper, and Hylla. Everything after that was too pain filled to recall.

Reyna knew that she had been stabbed by Hylla which tore Kronos from her body and forced him back to Tartarus. She was suffering side effects though. The most obvious was the hint of gold in her eyes. Before, it was hard to tell where her pupil and iris were. Now, a circle of gold surrounded her pupil.

Reyna should have died from her injuries. Atropos spared her, but there was a catch. Reyna had to become a champion for Atropos. In doing so, she would kill those who escaped the Underworld or cheated death in general. That included Leo and Hazel.

Annabeth learned about her mission. She sold Reyna out to the Senate by admitting that Reyna had committed patricide. The two had their arguments during the war, but Chase had no right to do what she did. Reyna gritted her teeth thinking about how she had been exiled from Camp Jupiter because of it.

"After this," Atropos began. Reyna looked up at the Fate as she was torn from her reminiscing. "You will find the champion of Lachesis. My calculations were off."

"You said that it would take a few months for them to decide," Reyna recalled. Atropos nodded. "Has Clotho picked?"

"She decided long before I did. I tried to change her mind, but she is stuck on this person. Lachesis was quick to chose Clarisse," Atropos explained. She stood.

"Clarisse?" Reyna questioned. She frowned as she thought about it. Who had Clotho picked though?

"Yes." Atropos confirmed. She walked towards Reyna and studied her. "Clarisse needs your help. Lachesis' sword was broken many years ago. It was never reforged, and Clarisse requires assistance."

"I will help her after this," Reyna promised. She looked down at the ground. According to Circe's deadline, Reyna had three days left to rescue Amazons that had been captured during Orion's attack.

"You should see that you do," Atropos said. She studied Reyna. "Good luck."

Reyna's dream ended as water was thrown in her face. Her eyes snapped open, and she looked around. Reyna looked up at the man in front of her as she spat water out.

"Morning," the man sneered. He punched her hard in the face. Reyna's head snapped to the side. She spat more water out along with blood. "Are you feeling talkative yet?"

Reyna studied her surroundings instead of answering. She was in a dark room that had a single light in the middle of it. The walls were the gray of a jail cell. Reyna was tied to a chair in the middle of the room.

"How did you find us?" the man demanded. He wore armor that could have been mistaken for the armor of a Spartan warrior, but it was older. The shape of the helmet was also different.

"I followed the smell," Reyna spat. She received another punch in the face. Truthfully, she had spent the last week trying to find them. Reyna managed to find a way there with the help of Prometheus. Her own carelessness caused her current predicament.

"How?" the man demanded. Reyna looked up at him. The man belonged to the Arimaspi. They were a tribe of one eyed men who hated females. Amazons were the bane of their existence.

Reyna still didn't answer. The man grabbed the broken fingers on her right hand. He bent back her middle finger. Reyna gritted her teeth to keep from crying out.

Every bone in her right hand had been broken. There was no way she could move her hand without terrible pain. The man laughed at the pain Reyna was trying to hide.

The man let go of her finger. He grabbed the dagger that had been stabbed into her right arm. Reyna cried out in pain as the man twisted the dagger. He spoke, "You are going to tell me!"

"I won't," Reyna snapped. Her left arm struggled with the restraints, but it was no use. The man grabbed her chin as he pulled the dagger out of her arm. Reyna spat blood into his face.

The man stabbed the dagger into her right arm. Reyna couldn't stop from crying out. She closed her eyes tightly. The man spoke, "Answer me!"

Reyna didn't respond, and she didn't open her eyes. She felt the man let go of her chin. He walked out a moment later. Reyna slowly opened her eyes.

Reyna took a deep breath. She shifted in her restraints. There was a rope that was wrapped tightly around her chest. It was keeping her trapped to the chair. Reyna's arms were tied to the arms of the chair.

She sat there for a few moments. The pain in her right arm was horrible. Reyna needed to get moving though. She looked up as the door opened again.

A different, larger man walked in. He had one green eye in the middle of his forehead. Since he was so large, it would have been easy to mistake him for a Cyclops. The man spoke, "Reyna."

"How do you know my name?" Reyna questioned. She looked up at him in surprise. He walked towards her and smirked.

"My name is Atticus," the man replied. He pulled the dagger out of her arm. Reyna hissed in pain. "I have spent the last two years planning to kill your sister."

"You won't lay a hand on her," Reyna spat. Atticus laughed. He stabbed the dagger into her right arm again. Reyna cursed painfully.

"Are you going to stop me?" Atticus questioned. Reyna bit her tongue painfully. "How did you know we were here? Was it Circe?"

Reyna didn't answer. Atticus sighed. He grabbed her chin and spoke, "You can save yourself the pain. We have so much torture to go through."

Reyna looked up. She kicked him hard in the groin. Atticus gasped in pain. Reyna kicked him backwards. She stood and slammed her chair into him. It broke on impact.

"You should really learn to tie the legs of your captives," Reyna commented as she dropped the rope. She painfully pulled the dagger out of her arm and took deep breaths. The world was starting to spin, and she felt dizzy from blood loss.

Atticus took deep breaths. The chair had hit him right in the temple. He tried to get up. Reyna kicked him as hard as she could in the temple. She knelt by him and spoke, "Murum aries attigit."

"It means the ram has touched the wall. In other words, no mercy. If you touch my sister, I will not show you any mercy," Reyna warned. She knocked Atticus out. Reyna stood, slipped out of the room, and looked around.

Reyna was standing in a large hallway. There was no one else around. She pressed her arm to her shirt and tried to stop the bleeding. Reyna walked down the hallway and heard a door open. She ducked into an empty room.

Seeing her sword was an extreme relief. Reyna hurried towards the table. She grabbed the red blade. It was the item that marked her as Atropos' champion. Reyna grabbed her belt and awkwardly put it on.

There was a rod attached to the belt. It turned into a javelin when she flipped it. There was also brass knuckles which she slipped into her pocket. That turned into a shield.

Reyna looked around and gripped her right arm. Along with the stab wounds and broken fingers, her forearm was broken in multiple places. The pain was overwhelming and made her feel sick.

"You need to move," Reyna growled to herself. She glanced out into the hallway and saw no one. Reyna stepped into the hallway and hurried down it. She had no clue where she was going.

Out of instinct, Reyna stopped at a door. She glanced at it before opening it. Reyna stared as she saw two men kicking the crap out of a girl.

The girl had auburn hair, but it was dirty and ratted. That was all Reyna needed to see. She grabbed the rod, flipped it, and threw it at one of the men. It hit him in the throat. The other looked up and tried to cry out. Reyna jabbed her sword into his throat before he could.

Reyna shoved the man down. She sheathed her sword and knelt next to the girl. Pained eyes looked up at her.

"Hylla?" the girl questioned. Both of her eyes were blackened. Her face was a bruised and bloodied mess. It was clear that she had suffered weeks of punishment.

"It's Reyna. You're safe now," Reyna whispered. "Where are the others?"

The girl looked down. She slowly spoke, "They killed them. It's been so long. They said that I could help them kill Hylla. That's why they kept me alive."

"Kinzie, it's okay," Reyna whispered. "I'm going to get you out of here. I promise. Can you walk?"

Kinzie shook her head. Reyna placed a hand into her pocket and felt the string. She helped Kinzie stand and led her away.

"Hylla, is she hurt?" Kinzie whispered. A cough wracked her body. She was leaning heavily on Reyna.

"She's fine," Reyna answered. She was inwardly panicking. If the men saw them, there was no way Reyna could defend the two.

Reyna found the room she was looking for. The door handle was rusted because it hadn't been used in forever. She kicked the door open and stepped inside.

Her eyes darted around the room. She saw the symbol she was looking for. Reyna helped Kinzie towards it. She heard a man in another room yell in alarm. Reyna looked around before placing a hand to the symbol.

The wall in front of them opened. Reyna helped Kinzie into the Labyrinth. The maze had been destroyed, but Pasiphae brought it back. As the wall closed, Reyna grabbed the string from her pocket.

"Ariadne's string?" Kinzie guessed in a weak voice. Reyna nodded. "Oh, good."

Kinzie passed out. Reyna wasn't expecting it and barely managed to keep the Amazon standing. The daughter of Bellona practically carried Kinzie down the hallway.

"Let's get you back to Hylla," Reyna whispered as she looked at Kinzie. She forced herself to focus on walking. Reyna's promise to Atropos ran through her mind. After this, she would need to help Clarisse. The only problem was how she would get close to Clarisse without any of the other Greeks knowing.


	2. Memores Acti Prudentes Futuri

_A small boy stood next to priests. His attention wasn't on them though. He was focused on a helmet that was in his hands. It was clear that he had never seen a helmet like it before._

 _The helmet was of Roman design. It had no plume though. In fact, the helmet wouldn't become well known until the Roman's began their gladiator games. It was almost black, but the boy could have swore there was hints of red on it._

 _The boy moved his hand to touch the top of the helmet. Instead of the plume a normal helmet had, it was a metal ridge that was about two inches high. He lowered the helmet and looked up._

" _Leave us alone for a few moments," a man said. The boy looked up at his father who watched the priests back away. His attention turned back to his son._

 _The boy raised the helmet. His father took it with a sad smile. He set it aside and grabbed the boy gently._

" _Do you know what this is?" the man asked. The boy turned to examine the altar in front of him. It was a black sword that had been stabbed into a stone. There was writing on the sword in red, but no one knew what it meant._

" _Your altar?" the boy asked. His father laughed amused._

" _It has been in our family for generations. It grants luck to the warriors in our family. Are you ready to take your vow?" the man questioned. He knelt by the boy._

" _For my vow?" the boy wondered. Light shined in his eyes. He stood up straighter. His father nodded. "I'm ready father."_

" _Good," the man muttered. He looked troubled. "First, do you still want to come with me?"_

" _Of course," the boy answered. He started shaking from excitement and happiness._

" _Memores acti prudentes futuri," the man said. "It is a saying of our enemy. You must be mindful of what has been done, and you will be aware of what will happen. Do not forget their atrocities."_

" _I will teach you to fight," the man continued. "I will teach you how to take up my legacy. You just need to take your vow."_

" _I am ready," the boy promised. His father grabbed his hand and placed it to the sword. The boy did not cry out as the sword cut his skin open. His father guided his bloody finger to the stone._

 _The stone had gold lines every few centimeters. The boy moved his finger towards the bottom. He carefully made a straight line of blood._

" _Do you swear to spend your entire life defending your country?" the man asked. "Do you swear that your loyalty will never falter?"_

 _"I do," the boy said._

" _Are you ready for the most important promise of all?" the man questioned. The boy nodded. "Do you swear that you will never be a friend to those bastards."_

 _"I will not be a friend to them," the boy swore. The line of blood on the stone turned gold. "I swear that I will dedicate my entire life to destroying them. I will make sure the Romans fear the name Hannibal Barca."_

* * *

Reyna woke to a knock on the door. She groaned tiredly and looked around the hotel room. From the look outside, it had to be two in the morning. Reyna slowly sat up and made a pained noise.

When Reyna had gotten back to the hotel, she spent all of time on Kinzie. After that, she sent a message to Hylla. The message only told her to come quickly, and it had the address of the hotel along with the room number.

Reyna then passed out on the bed too tired to take care of arm. She was regretting that now. The pain was terrible. Reyna gritted her teeth and stood.

She wanted to dwell on the dream. It was replaying in her mind, but she was too tired to really think about it. Reyna shook her head and walked to the door. She opened it.

Hylla stared down at her. She took in every detail of Reyna's appearance and hugged her tightly. Reyna made a tired and pained noise. Hylla spoke, "What happened? Why are you like this?"

"Come in," Reyna muttered. She pulled away. Hylla stepped into the room and stared as she saw Kinzie curled up on a bed. She looked back at Reyna and tried to speak.

Reyna managed a pained smile. She walked towards her duffel bag and pulled out a shirt. Reyna frowned as she realized it wasn't clean. There was dried blood on it. The next one she pulled out had mud stains all over it.

Reyna finally gave up and turned back towards her sister. Hylla was just staring at Kinzie. Her eyes were focused on all of the bandages Kinzie had. Bruises covered any exposed skin.

"What did they do to her?" Hylla demanded finally finding her voice. She turned towards Reyna.

"They've been beating the crap out of her ever since Circe handed them over," Reyna answered. "Luckily, it's only been a few weeks instead of months for her."

"Circe sold them out, and you are working for her?" Hylla demanded. "You got pissed when I worked with her!"

"It's different," Reyna muttered. "Circe worked with them at first to introduce them to America. She didn't want to torture the Amazons. They were just a bargaining chip. The men ended up betraying her."

It was clear that Hylla was torn about what to do. She looked ready to yell at Reyna about what she had done. She also looked ready to hug her and thank her.

"What happened to your arm?" Hylla questioned. Reyna looked down at her arm. It was swollen pretty badly, and there was blood all over it.

Reyna didn't answer. She just pressed her arm to her shirt and walked towards Kinzie. Reyna spoke, "She'll make a full recovery. I thought you would want to see her."

"Who did this?" Hylla asked in a softer voice. She closed the door and walked towards Reyna. Hylla grabbed her little sister and sat her down on the edge of the bed. She grabbed Reyna's arm as gently as she could.

"You wouldn't know them," Reyna answered. It wasn't a lie. She doubted that Hylla had even heard of the men even though they hated the Amazons.

"Humor me," Hylla muttered as she gently grabbed Reyna's hand and started to set her bones. Reyna bit her left hand to keep from crying out, and she closed her eyes tightly.

Reyna managed to slip out the word Arimaspi as Hylla grabbed onto her middle finger. She made a pained noise as Hylla's grip tightened. Reyna opened her eyes and blinked away tears of pain.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Hylla demanded. Reyna was in too much pain to answer. She tried to pull away. Hylla tightened her grip. "Reyna! Why didn't you tell me?"

"You're crushing my hand," Reyna choked out. The grip only tightened. "I didn't think it was important."

Hylla let go of her hand. Reyna pulled away and took deep breaths. They both sat in a tense silence. For some reason, Hylla was seething in rage.

"Let me see your hand," Hylla muttered. Reyna didn't respond. She stood and walked towards a wall. Hylla stood to help her.

"Don't," Reyna snapped as she sat against the wall. She gritted her teeth as she finished setting her bones. Tears filled her vision as she worked. Reyna was only able to make it to her pinkie before she stopped. Her forearm still needed to be set.

"You don't understand about the Arimaspi. They are our sworn enemies," Hylla muttered. "I thought they were stuck in Greece. Why would Circe bring them to us?"

Reyna didn't answer. She tried to work on her forearm, but it was too much. Reyna watched fresh blood and golden ichor trickle from her wound. The golden ichor was because she had been made immortal by Atropos.

Hylla must have sensed how angry Reyna was. She looked at Kinzie and sat by her. Hylla pulled her close and just held her.

"Clotho has chosen her champion, but she hasn't revealed who it is," Reyna muttered after a few minutes of silence. Hylla looked at her.

"Do you have a guess?" Hylla questioned. Reyna shrugged. Hylla frowned. "You did say that it would probably be a demititan."

Reyna still didn't respond. She didn't feel talkative anymore. That had been happening ever since she was exiled. There was times when she just wanted to shut herself off from the world.

Hylla looked down. She sighed sadly. Reyna focused on the blood trickling from her arm. She finally spoke, "Why do the men hate you?"

"They hate the Amazons, but it wasn't us," Hylla began. Reyna looked up in confusion. Hylla studied her. "When Greece fell to Macedonia, there was a split in the Amazons."

"Some Amazons went further into the wilderness because they refused to believe what happened. The other Amazons kept on what they were doing. As power moved on in the world, they did as well," Hylla explained.

"The Amazons that went into the forest stayed there. They are the reason we have problems with the Arimaspi," Hylla continued.

"There are Amazons in Greece?" Reyna interrupted. Her sister nodded.

"They are hardcore. They kill men on sight. It's brutal," Hylla answered. She leaned back. "And, I need to get in contact with them."

"I'll go with," Reyna said without hesitation.

"No," Hylla muttered. She pulled away from Kinzie and gently laid her on the bed. Hylla stared down at her for a few moments before looking up at her sister.

"What do you mean no?" Reyna demanded. She tried to ignore the anger boiling in her chest, but it was no use. Anger and pain was the only thing she felt lately.

"I forbid you from getting involved with this," Hylla answered. She crossed her arms. "I don't care if you're Atropos' champion. You're still my baby sister, and you are not getting involved in this."

"I'm already involved in it," Reyna snapped. "You can't just shove me aside!"

"You're not going!" Hylla suddenly yelled at the top of her lungs. Reyna flinched in surprise. She was pulled to her feet a moment later. "You are not going! Understood?"

"I'm not a child," Reyna muttered. If there was one thing she could not stand, it was being yelled at. Hylla tightened the grip on her shirt. "I can go."

"Damn it Reyna! You are not going!" Hylla yelled. She was starting to shake from anger. "This isn't a question of you being a child. These Amazons are dangerous, and I don't have time to keep you out of trouble."

"I'll be fine!" Reyna yelled. "I took on the Arimaspi by myself!"

Hylla slammed her into a wall and leaned in close. Hylla spoke, "You should have waited for me. Look at what happened to you. I am sick and tired of you just throwing yourself out there and getting injured."

"So, you're pissed off because I saved your girlfriend?" Reyna demanded. She saw Hylla's eyes widen. They narrowed after a second.

"You should have waited," Hylla repeated. "You are not coming with me to meet the Amazons. You are not going to be involved in anything that has to do with the Arimaspi. If they attack you, the first thing you do is come to me."

"No," Reyna muttered.

"Don't be a child!" Hylla yelled at the top of her lungs. She shoved Reyna into the wall. "You are not as invincible as you think! You are not going to get involved in this. Am I understood?"

Reyna didn't respond as she slid down the wall into a sitting position. She had saved Kinzie's life. That wasn't good enough for Hylla. It was the same situation with the Senate. Saving the world wasn't good enough to avoid being exiled.

"You should lay off her," a voice interrupted. Hylla turned around and stared at Kinzie. She hugged her tightly.

"I thought you were dead," Hylla whispered. She rested her forehead against Kinzie's. "I'm so sorry."

Reyna stared at the ground. Dark thoughts were swarming around her head. She could hear Kinzie whispering to Hylla, but the words didn't register with Reyna. She looked up at someone knelt by her.

"I'm sorry," Hylla began. She sat by Reyna and gently grabbed her arm. Reyna couldn't stop the noise of pain that she made. Hylla shushed her and gently took care of her arm.

Reyna laid her head against the wall. Her eyes involuntarily closed. When they reopened, she was laying on the bed. Reyna looked down at her right arm which was in a splint. The stab wounds were bandaged.

"We're going to wake your sister up," Kinzie said in a quiet voice. She sounded only a few feet away.

"She's a heavy sleeper," Hylla muttered which was a complete lie. Reyna turned on back and watched the two kiss. Hylla was holding Kinzie up gently.

"You shouldn't engage in such physical activity if she's still injured," Reyna joked. It was the first joke she had made in a few days.

"We haven't done anything physical," Hylla said. She gently touched a bruise on Kinzie's face before kissing her neck. "Yet."

"You were suppose to help me shower," Kinzie complained. Hylla winked at Reyna. She helped Kinzie into the bathroom. Reyna laid her head back.

The dream ran through her mind. What did Hannibal Barca have to do with anything? He was a hated enemy of Rome, but there was no way he had come back when death was chained. Of course, it didn't matter. Camp Jupiter wasn't her problem anymore.

Reyna closed her eyes again. There was something about the sword though. The vow had to have some importance as well. Her mind was racing, but her body was exhausted. Even though Reyna tried to stay awake, she soon fell into a dreamless sleep.


	3. The Sword of Clotho

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* * *

Annabeth looked around the museum that Hazel had led her to. It was located miles from Camp Jupiter. Almost no one knew about it. Hazel had told her that was because of the magical enchantments on the building and protection from some of the Olympians.

Hazel had not been allowed to come inside. A Roman needed to be a praetor to gain admission. An exception was made for Annabeth because she was helping rebuild the camp. She thought it could her find Reyna.

Reyna had managed to become public enemy number one by killing a few Hunters of Artemis. Annabeth had promised to track her down, and she was determined to keep that promise.

An old man walked towards Annabeth. He was wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. At first, it looked like he was using a cane. Annabeth quickly realized it was a sword that was sheathed.

"You must be the Greek," the old man began. He nodded graciously to her. "Oh, it has been forever since I showed a Greek my museum. Come quickly."

"Hazel said Greeks didn't know about this museum," Annabeth said with a confused look. She passed a table that had pieces of a wall on it. The plague underneath was a summary of how Romulus killed Remus

"They haven't for many years now," the man explained. "My name is Virgil."

Annabeth stared for a moment. She slowly spoke, "the Virgil?"

"I wish. Oh, I do wish," Virgil replied. He continued to lead her down the narrow room. There was a display on each side. Most of them were things like weapons or armor from famous Roman generals. A few were souvenirs from the enemies of Rome.

"Is there anything in particular you are looking for?" Virgil questioned.

"No," Annabeth admitted. Her attention moved to a display that had a helmet in it. The helmet was black, but there was hints of red in it. She stopped in front of the display.

"That is called a Galea," Virgil explained as he limped towards her. "It was a popular helmet for gladiators who didn't want to be known. The face mask was the best cover for their identity."

"Taken from Spartacus," Annabeth read. Virgil nodded and placed a hand to the glass. His hand went through it. He grabbed the helmet and pulled it out of the display case.

Annabeth tested the glass by placing a hand to it. Her hand didn't go through like Virgil's had. That was pretty cool. Virgil held the helmet up, so Annabeth could examine it.

"People say that this helmet was taken from Hannibal by Spartacus," Virgil whispered.

"There was at least a fifty year difference between the two," Annabeth began. Virgil nodded and smiled. "So, Spartacus was a general in the Roman army?"

"A centurion," Virgil confirmed. "His legion was practically destroyed because of a consul's carelessness. He took the blame."

Annabeth nodded and studied the helmet. The only thing anyone would be able to make of the face was the eyes. Virgil turned the helmet in his hands. There was no marks on it besides dirt.

"Adamantime," Virgil whispered. "It is an extremely rare metal. For someone to own something like this, they had to be important and in contact with some powerful figures. It takes many years to forge the armor, but it is the best in the world."

"Did Hannibal take it from a Roman general?" Annabeth questioned. Virgil shook his head. He gently handed the helmet to her. Annabeth carefully grabbed it.

As Annabeth was examining it, she saw a symbol of the inside of the helmet. It took her a moment to recognize it as shears. Annabeth stared.

"Everyone says that Hannibal died by drinking poison," Virgil whispered. He looked her in the eyes. "He drank the poison, but he did not die. Before Hannibal committed the deed, he spoke to Morta."

"Hannibal was a champion of Atropos?" Annabeth slowly questioned.

"He was. Then, he changed the world by killing the last emperor of Rome. His last act of vengeance destroyed the empire he hated so much. Odovacer did not commit this deed. He just took the credit," Virgil explained.

"How do you know that?" Annabeth slowly asked. Virgil gently took the helmet and put it back in the display case.

"It is my job to know all about Rome and its history. I also know that you are trying to find a weapon to use against the reaper. The only thing you will find here is the helmet that belongs to her and the sword that belongs to Nona."

"Clotho has her sword here? Where is it?" Annabeth questioned. Virgil gently grabbed her arm and led her towards another display case. It held a sword that had been stabbed into stone.

"This is the place of Hannibal's vow," Virgil explained. "It had been in his family for generations. They would always vow against enemies of their family. Scipio Africanus captured this when he invaded Hannibal's home."

"The sword was given to one of Hannibal's ancestors to protect it," Virgil continued. He studied the display case.

"Is the champion of Clotho the only one who can pull the sword out?" Annabeth questioned.

"Anyone can pull the sword out, but it will burn at the touch," Virgil explained.

"That is why you will be careful in removing the sword," a voice said. Annabeth turned and stared at her mother. Athena glanced at her.

"M...Minerva," Virgil stuttered. He dropped his sword and quickly bowed. Virgil spoke in rapid Latin. He looked absolutely terrified.

"Peace," Athena said. She looked at the display case that held the helmet. "Would you?"

"Of course," Virgil said. He hurried forward completely forgetting about his cane. Virgil grabbed the helmet and handed it to Athena.

Athena turned towards Annabeth. She walked towards her and held out the helmet. Athena spoke, "You will deliver this to Reyna."

"Mother, I can't," Annabeth protested. "She killed the Hunters! My father died because of her!"

"Frederick died because of me," Athena corrected. "You are going to work with her. There are many issues you must deal with. Sula still has her army. The Amazons are about to be plunged into a war, and they will need your help."

"Hylla has refused to give us supplies," Annabeth began. "We can barely rebuild Camp Jupiter. It will be hard to support them in a war."

"That problem will resolve itself," Athena promised. "First, you will find Reyna. Second, the two of you will meet up with Clarisse. The pieces of the sword will be found."

"Mother, I don't want to work with Reyna. She won't want to work with me either," Annabeth protested. She didn't want to argue with her mother, but there was no way she would work with Reyna.

"You two will get over your petty argument," Athena said in a firm voice. "This is beyond important."

"Yes mother," Annabeth finally answered. If Reyna hurt Annabeth's friends, all bets would be off. Athena studied her.

"Virgil, may I have the sword?" Athena questioned. Virgil nodded and hurried away. He came back with a sword sheathe and a towel. Virgil gently grabbed the sword handle with the towel. He sheathed the sword and handed it to Athena.

"Do you know who the champion is?" Annabeth wondered. Her mother was gripping the sword looking nervous.

"I have my suspicions," Athena answered. She wouldn't meet Annabeth's eyes. Annabeth nodded and didn't say anything else. "Watch yourself."

"I will," Annabeth promised. Athena looked like she wanted to say more. She finally nodded, looked down at the sword, and turned to walk out. Annabeth watched her mother walk away.

Annabeth looked down at the helmet she was holding. She gripped it. The thought of working with Reyna was a horrible one. They hated each other.

"Virgil, thank you for your time," Annabeth said. Virgil looked at her and nodded. Annabeth walked out of the museum.

A million thoughts ran through her mind. Why had her mother taken the sword? Why did she have to work with Reyna? How long would it take for the two to kill each other?

As Annabeth stepped outside, she saw a woman waiting for her. The woman had a sword to Hazel's throat. Two men flanked them.

The figure wore white armor. Her face was twisted into a hateful sneer. Annabeth knew the women all too well. Her name was Sula. She had been a mentor to Reyna, and she had also stabbed her in the back.

"It is disgraceful and disgusting that a Greek is allowed into a museum that few Romans go to," Sula sneered. She dug the sword into Hazel's neck.

"Let her go," Annabeth ordered. She unsheathed her sword and moved the helmet to her left hand. Before she could step forward, something slammed into the back of her head.

Annabeth fell forward. Someone kicked her hard in the stomach. She rolled on her back and stared up at a man. He spoke, "This is the leader of the Greeks."

"In everything but title," Sula answered. "Atticus, shall we get this over with?"

"It's important to study the enemy," the man standing over Annabeth answered. He stepped on her neck. "Besides, we must put these two bitches in their place."

Annabeth felt a searing pain in her gut. She knew that she had been stabbed. Atticus twisted the sword and sneered down at her. He spoke, "You fall first. Your camp will fall after."

"Where is the sword?" Atticus demanded.

"What sword?" Annabeth slowly asked.

"The sword of Clotho. Do not treat me like a fool," Atticus spat. He suddenly looked up and stared. Atticus backed away and ran before anyone could stop him.

"What are you doing?" Sula yelled at him. Annabeth slowly looked up to one of the men step forward. A spear was thrown into his chest, and he collapsed. The other man rushed forward.

Annabeth couldn't see the fight, but she knew the man didn't last. Sula cursed in Latin and backed away. She finally shoved Hazel away and ran.

"How do you manage to get in so much trouble?" a gruff voice asked. Clarisse knelt by her. Annabeth gasped as a jacket was pressed against her stomach.

"I have unicorn powder," Hazel began as she knelt by them. She gently grabbed the sword handle. The sword was still buried in Annabeth's gut.

"We don't need Roman medicine," Clarisse muttered. She gave Annabeth some nectar and ambrosia. The pain lessened. "We need to get Chase out of here."

"Need to find Reyna," Annabeth whispered. Clarisse looked down at her in surprise. "You need to find her. Helmet."

"Can you shadow travel?" Clarisse questioned as she looked at Hazel. Annabeth stared at the sky. Why had Atticus just ran away? How did they know where she was?

"I will," Hazel promised. Annabeth laid her head back. She wanted to know why the men had one eye. How did Clarisse know where she was? The problem was that Annabeth could barely stay conscious.

"I'll send you a message after I find Reyna," Clarisse said. She looked at Annabeth and grabbed the helmet from the ground. Annabeth closed her eyes, and she allowed everything to fade away.


	4. The Periclean Strategy

Clarisse knew that she shouldn't of broken into Reyna's hotel room, but she didn't really care anymore. It had been nine days since Lachesis had decided that Clarisse would be her champion. It came with words burned onto her arm that would lead to pieces of Lachesis' sword.

No one could translate the words besides Reyna. That was why Clarisse needed to find her. It just had been complicated by how much Annabeth had been keeping an eye on her. Clarisse originally planned to sneak away two days ago, but everyone watched her like a hawk.

Now, Annabeth was at Camp Half-Blood with a sword buried in her gut. She couldn't bother them anymore. Clarisse looked down at the helmet she had been given. She tossed it onto the bed.

The bed had Reyna's duffel bag on it. There was a few open notebooks. Clarisse walked towards them and tried to find a clue for where Reyna had went. One of the notebooks had a list of names, and some of them were crossed out. Another had writing in the language of the Titans.

Clarisse sighed and turned around. A javelin flew by her head. She ducked under it. Clarisse grabbed her own spear and held it out in front of her. Reyna stared at her.

"What was that?" Clarisse demanded. She stared as she studied Reyna. The daughter of Bellona was wearing blue jeans and a black jacket. Her right arm was pressed against her side.

"You scared me," Reyna muttered. She walked towards her bed and started to pack up. Clarisse could see that Reyna's hand was in a glove that seemed to keep it completely immobilized.

"Lachesis chose me as her champion," Clarisse began. She showed Reyna her arm. "She also told me to follow the clues to find pieces of her sword."

"It's like Kronos' blade all over again," Reyna muttered bitterly. She examined Clarisse's arm. "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here."

Clarisse stared at Reyna. She slowly looked down at her arm. Clarisse spoke, "Why in Ares' name is the Gettysburg address on my arm?"

"I guess that's where we're going," Reyna muttered. She sat down on the bed tiredly. "We should travel separately."

"I'm not scared of the Hunters," Clarisse said. Reyna shook her head. She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

"There's more than that," Reyna muttered. She stood and packed her duffel bag. Reyna stopped to examine the helmet. "What's this?"

"I was told to give it to you," Clarisse answered. She kept Chase's name out of it. There was no telling what Reyna's reaction would be.

"How did you find me?" Reyna questioned as she gently placed the helmet into her duffel bag. She grabbed her javelin from the wall and flipped it into the rod. Reyna slipped it onto her belt.

"The Hunters know where you are," Clarisse answered. Reyna quickly looked up at her. An arrow suddenly flew past their head and buried itself into the wall. Clarisse tackled Reyna to the ground as there was an explosion.

Reyna cursed in agony. She had landed on her right arm. Clarisse looked up to see three Hunters. The daughter of Ares stood and spoke, "What do you three want?"

"Her," one of them answered. They aimed the bow at Reyna. Clarisse didn't react. She, as odd as it sounded, needed to keep the peace for as long as she could.

"I can handle it," Clarisse grunted. The Hunters shook their head. Reyna slowly got to her hands and knees.

"Don't get up," a Hunter growled. Reyna looked up at them. She cursed at them in Latin. Clarisse sighed and gripped her spear.

"I know for a fact that Reyna can destroy all three of you with only one arm. I can destroy five of you without blinking. Do you really want to take those odd?" Clarisse threatened. She helped Reyna stand.

The Hunters all looked at each other. One opened her mouth, but she suddenly collapsed. An axe was sticking out of her back. The Hunters turned. One collapsed as an axe tore into her head. The third didn't even stand a chance.

A man with one eye walked in. He was wearing an utility vest that had multiple weapons hanging off of it. Two more men followed. The man with the utility vest spoke, "Stand down."

"How did you find us?" Reyna demanded. She unsheathed her sword. Clarisse gripped her spear.

"We followed the Hunters," the man answered.

"Enough talk," Clarisse snapped.

"Agreed," the man said. He grabbed an axe that was across his back. It looked like it was made of the same metal as Reyna's helmet. The man threw the axe faster than Clarisse could have anticipated.

Clarisse quickly raised her spear to block it. The axe tore right through her spear and slammed into her chest. Clarisse stumbled backwards and stared down at the axe.

The man lifted another axe. He was aiming it right at her head. Reyna tackled Clarisse to the ground.

"Stay down," Reyna hissed. She stood and dodged another axe. Clarisse slowly grabbed the axe in her chest and pulled it out. She cried out in pain.

Clarisse looked up and watched the two fight. Reyna was holding her own against the man. Two others were standing at the door and watching. Reyna suddenly stabbed the man in the neck.

Reyna shoved the man away. He stumbled backwards and placed a hand to his throat. Clarisse noticed that the man had dropped his axe when he had been stabbed. It was now on his back. The man suddenly grabbed the axe and threw it at Reyna.

There was no time for Reyna to react. The axe hit Reyna in her right shoulder and knocked her to the ground. The man walked towards her and kicked her onto her stomach.

"Reaper, you cannot kill me. The archangel cannot either," the man spat. He tore the axe from her shoulder and slammed it into her shoulder blade. Reyna bit her hand to suppress a scream

"I could sever your spine," the man hissed. He tore the axe out and brought it down once again. Reyna screamed into her hand again as it tore through her shoulder.

Clarisse tried to sit up, but everything went dark. The only thing she could do was watch. Clarisse spoke "What do you want?"

The man looked at her. He pulled the axe out of Reyna's shoulder. The man spoke, "I want to know where the queen of the Amazons is. After that, I want to find Clotho's champion and kill her before she receives the sword."

"You know who it is?" Clarisse questioned.

"You don't?" the man asked. He started laughing. Reyna slowly looked at Clarisse. It was clear that she was fading. Clarisse felt the same way.

"How do you know?" Reyna wheezed. The man laughed. He pulled Reyna to her knees and gripped her neck.

"Where is the queen of the Amazons?" the man demanded. Reyna didn't answer. She just gripped her shoulder to try and stop the bleeding. The man pulled Reyna to her feet and shoved her back.

Reyna stumbled back. She could barely stay standing. The man examined his axe. He hummed to himself before throwing the axe at Reyna. She barely stepped to the side.

The axe buried itself into one of the men. Reyna grabbed her rod and threw it. It turned into a javelin, but the man blocked it.

"Today, we begin the Periclean strategy" the man said like he expected them to know what that meant. Reyna took a step back. She was shaking pretty badly. "Atticus had you in his grasp, and he allowed for you to escape. I will not make the same mistake."

"Who are you?" Reyna questioned.

"Macsen," the man answered. He kicked Reyna's sword towards her and grabbed the other axe that was on his back. Reyna painfully grabbed her sword.

Macsen laughed. He attacked. Reyna barely blocked the axe. Macsen knocked her sword away and slammed his axe into her side.

Reyna made a choked noise. She fell to her knees. Macsen kicked her to the ground and tore the axe out. Reyna closed her eyes and placed a hand to her side.

"Pathetic," Macsen spat. "I would think that Atropos would pick someone of skill and talent. I was bitterly wrong."

Clarisse laid her head back. She was pissed at herself. They had gotten their asses kicked by Macsen. Clarisse tried to sit up, but the pain in her chest was intense.

Macsen stood over Reyna. He raised his axe and spoke, "Where is your sister?"

"Here," a voice answered. Clarisse looked up. She saw Hylla had a knife to the other man's neck. Hylla glared at Macsen. "Step away."

"This is the great queen of the Amazons?" Macsen questioned. "All of you are pathetic."

Hylla slit the man's throat. She shoved him to the ground and walked towards Macsen. He held a hand up and placed the axe to Reyna's neck.

"Don't," Macsen warned. "You Amazons are not as good as you think. It's a shame that you think you deserve to walk this earth."

Clarisse painfully rolled onto her stomach. She grabbed her spear and threw it at Macsen. It hit his shoulder and knocked him forward. Hylla moved forward and stabbed him in the chest.

Hylla grabbed Macsen and dragged him towards the window. She tore the knife out and threw him out the window. Clarisse stared for a few moments.

"Can you walk?" Hylla questioned as she walked towards Clarisse. She helped her stand.

"I'll be fine," Clarisse muttered even thought she felt weak and ready to pass out. She walked towards her spear and grabbed it. Clarisse cleaned it.

"We're going to my base," Hylla muttered. She grabbed her sister's things and stuffed them in a duffel bag. Hylla swung the duffel bag across her back and knelt by Reyna. She examined her sister's face before picking her up.

"Who are these people?" Clarisse demanded. She placed a hand to her chest.

"I'll tell you when we're safe," Hylla answered. Clarisse wanted to demand an answer then and there, but they needed to get going. Clarisse sighed but nodded. She silently followed Hylla out.


	5. Attrition

Clarisse looked around the conference room that she was in. It had only one table in the middle of it. Hylla was leaning on the table talking to a girl who was sitting at it. Clarisse believed the girl was named Kinzie.

Reyna was sitting across from Clarisse. The pain was clear on her face. Her entire shoulder was tightly bandaged. She also had a bandage on her shoulder blade. Her right arm was pressed against her side.

It had been a few hours since they came in. Hylla had immediately tended to her sister, but she also made sure that Clarisse was taken care of. Clarisse had her chest bandaged, and she wanted to go find the men to kick their asses.

"Who were they?" Clarisse questioned. She took a bite of the pizza she had been given. Hylla glanced at her.

"We're waiting for one more person," Hylla answered.

"They're the Arimaspi," Reyna muttered. "One eyed men who originated in Greece. They're pissed at the Amazons for reasons my sister won't tell me."

"I didn't want you to get involved," Hylla said. Reyna glared at her angrily.

"I think I'm involved now. Clarisse is as well. It's time to stop hiding things," Reyna snapped. It looked like she wanted to say more, but she looked away. Hylla glared, but Kinzie grabbed her arm.

The door opened a moment later. Clarisse looked up and stared. A woman that was in her thirties stood in front of them. She wore leather armor and a cloak. Her gaze focused on them.

The woman had brown hair and hazel eyes. Her face was covered in dirt. A large scar went across her face. She had a bow slung across her back.

"Thanks for coming," Hylla began. The woman looked at her. She studied Hylla with a glare.

"You dare wear her belt?" the woman questioned. She had a heavy accent but spoke English well.

"I do," Hylla answered in a low voice. She moved away from Kinzie and stood straighter. "We are not here to discuss that. Your problem has come to us."

"The Arimaspi are a blight upon the land. It only makes sense that they spread," the woman said. "My spies have told me that they have been contacted by a woman wearing white armor."

"Sula," Reyna muttered. She painfully looked at the table. Reyna turned and spat blood out. She closed her eyes tightly. Hylla glanced at her sister concerned but quickly looked away.

"She even dared to come to us," the woman muttered. "I gave her five minutes to get out of our territory. I was afraid her smell would stay for weeks."

"Who are you?" Clarisse questioned. The woman gave her a disgusted look. Clarisse crossed her arms.

"The queen of the Amazons in Greece," Hylla answered. "Her name is Adonia."

"I can say my own name," Adonia snapped. She watched them. "The Arimaspi hate us because of what happened many generations ago. Originally, the Arimaspi bred Griffins. They were the first to tame them."

"A rare genetic defect struck," Adonia continued. "The eggs of a Griffin are usually white with black spots. This egg was brown with white spots. It was the egg of a Gryphon."

"Two Amazons stole one of the eggs. They had gotten into skirmishes with the Arimaspi before. The damn stealing was on a dare. No one knew how rare the eggs were," Adonia muttered. She kicked the table in anger.

"The Arimaspi have hated us ever since. They weren't that big of a problem until three of them were blessed by the giant Thoon," Adonia continued.

"Is one of them named Macsen?" Clarisse questioned. Adonia nodded. She even looked a little fearful. "He attacked us and got a lucky shot on me. He seemed content to torture Reyna for information about her sister."

"We call him the executioner because of his axes," Adonia answered. She sat down and studied Reyna. "Hylla's younger sister, correct?"

"Yeah," Reyna answered. Her teeth were gritted. She opened her eyes to watch Adonia.

"The reaper," Adonia said. "You are quite famous. This is the second time there has been a champion of Atropos. It's also the second time for a champion of Lachesis."

"Second?" Clarisse interrupted. She leaned forward in interest. Adonia looked at her and studied her.

"Yes. Hannibal Barca was the first reaper. The first archangel was Pericles. I don't know about the champion of Clotho," Adonia explained.

"Wait," Reyna said. She shifted painfully. "These three guys were blessed by Thoon. Does that mean we can't kill them?"

"They can only die by one of you. I assume it would be Clotho's champion that can kill Macsen," Adonia answered.

"Then, I can kill Atticus," Clarisse guessed. "He fled like a coward when he saw me."

"When?" Reyna asked. She coughed out blood again and laid her head against the table. Hylla looked at the ceiling. It seemed like she was stopping herself from helping.

"It was outside the Roman museum. I ran into him after getting your helmet," Clarisse explained. Reyna didn't respond. Clarisse knew that the axe had gone right through her ribs and into her lung.

"Helmet?" Adonia questioned. She leaned forward. "May I see it?"

Reyna didn't move. Clarisse grabbed the helmet from the duffel bag and placed it on the table. Adonia stared at it.

"This is the helmet of Hannibal Barca," Adonia muttered. She smiled. "Well, I guess it is yours now. If you had the full set of armor, the Arimaspi would have had a much harder time."

"What's it made of?" Kinzie questioned.

"Adamantime," Adonia responded. "It is one of the the rarest metals in the world. Some Olympians have weapons made from it. Armor made from it is extremely protective. Weapons from it can never break."

"Is his axe made of the same material?" Clarisse wondered. "It tore right through my spear."

"It is," Adonia confirmed. "Adamantime cuts through normal weapons and armor like it's butter. Well, the pure form of it does. Reaper, your weapon has been neutralized by the river it was dipped in."

Reyna slowly looked up. She spoke, "River?"

"One of the rivers in the Underworld. The other swords are dipped in it as well. Raw adamantime is evil. It sucks off the emotion of its holder," Adonia explained.

"Did they come here to deal with the champions or because of this Sula chick?" Kinzie questioned. She rubbed her chin.

"Both. They will begin a war of attrition against the champions just to wear them down," Adonia explained. She looked around and sighed. "I will call for my Amazons. We will need a place to stay."

"Of course," Hylla said. She walked towards the door and opened it. "Follow me."

A silence fell over the room as Hylla and Adonia left. Clarisse looked around at the two others in the room. She looked at the sword handle on her belt.

"I'm going to Gettysburg," Clarisse decided.

"The champion of Clotho is more important," Reyna muttered. She looked up from the table and wiped blood from her mouth. It was clear that she was struggling to breath.

Clarisse turned on her. She spoke, "I have been living with these stupid words on my arm for nine days. I'm tired of it, and I want it gone."

"If they kill the champion of Clotho, one of them will be invincible," Reyna muttered. She coughed out more blood and laid her head on the table miserably.

"You both need to relax," Kinzie interrupted. Clarisse shook her head.

"Why doesn't Clotho just approach her champion?" Reyna muttered. "Atropos did that to me. Clarisse, did Lachesis do it for you too?"

"She did," Clarisse confirmed. She sighed. "How about this? We find the champion of Clotho, and we get them to safety. Then, we are going to find the piece of my sword."

Reyna nodded her agreement. She exhaled and closed her eyes tiredly. Kinzie stood and spoke, "You two are going to relax even if I have to drag you two to a bed."

"We'll go peacefully," Reyna muttered. She slowly stood and placed a hand to her side. Reyna grabbed her duffel bag and slowly walked out.

Clarisse stood and followed Reyna out. Kinzie limped after them and led them to a room that had two beds in it and nothing else.

Reyna dropped her duffel bag on the ground. She laid on the bed and curled up on her left side. Clarisse watched her for a few moments.

Clarisse sighed and laid on her bed. She did not like downtime. Clarisse was a woman of action. Sitting around did not suit her.

After a few minutes of staring at the ceiling, sleep wouldn't come. There was way too many thoughts racing around her head. The Arimaspi was working with Sula and her army of barbarians. Clarisse knew they should have destroyed the barbarians when they had the chance.

Camp Jupiter was in the middle of rebuilding. It would be hard for them to pull together, and they lacked the numbers as well. Camp Half-Blood had a stupid barrier problem. They were just a mess.

There was the demititans as well. Clarisse had no clue they existed until the war with Ouranos. They were probably the strongest group. It was very possible that they would be forced to help the Greeks even if they didn't want to.

Would the Greeks even help the Amazons? There was a major rift between the two. After Reyna had been exiled, the Amazons had cut themselves off from everyone besides the demititans. The Hunters wouldn't work with Reyna after what she had done.

"Idiots," Clarisse decided as she finished thinking. All she knew was that the champion of Clotho was a female. They would hunt down the champion. For now, Clarisse would try to relax and sleep.


	6. The Champion of Clotho

_Hannibal Barca sat in his camp and stared ahead. His eyes wandered off in the distance. Two men next to him were drawing a battle plan. One nodded while the other shook his head._

" _Sir, when is your brother coming?" a solider questioned. He looked exhausted. Everyone around him shared the same look. Hannibal looked at him and smiled._

" _Soon," Hannibal answered. He leaned forward. "Very soon if his last letter is anything to go by. We will have our reinforcements, and Rome will soon fall."_

" _Sir, they have so many men. They can just keep resupplying their troops," the solider whispered. "What hope do we have?"_

 _"Rome holds few generals that can command an army. They have numbers and nothing more. We have proved our dominance. There is nothing than can stop us," Hannibal answered._

 _Hannibal didn't look confident. He looked like he was stating fact. The solider nodded and walked away. Hannibal looked at the plan that the two men were making._

 _The camp fell into a peaceful silence. Men were talking about the last battle. Everyone seemed to have full bellies. Hannibal smiled as he looked around._

 _Everyone looked up as they heard hooves. It was clear that a horse was speeding towards them. Hannibal stood and smiled. He spoke, "It seems that my brother's messenger has arrived with news of their arrival."_

 _A cheer rose up from the soldiers. They all knew that Hannibal was planning on a siege of Rome when he met up with his brother's army. They also knew that the siege would most likely work._

 _A sack was suddenly thrown into the middle of the camp. Hannibal stared for a few moments. He walked towards it as the camp fell dead silent._

 _Hannibal knelt by the sack. He picked it up and emptied it. A severed head fell to the ground. Hannibal stared at the head._

" _Sir, is that Hasdrubal?" one of the men questioned. He looked up from his strategy. Hannibal stared at the head before he dropped it. He turned and walked away._

 _Hannibal walked into his tent. He took his helmet off and threw it at the ground. It bounced right off of the ground and into a woman's hands. Hannibal looked up and unsheathed his sword._

" _Peace," the woman said. "My name is Clotho. You may know me as a Fate."_

 _"You're a crazy lady and nothing more," Hannibal snarled. "The Greeks have their religion, but there is no such thing as a Fate."_

" _There is," Clotho promised. "I can prove it to you any way you desire. I will not bring back your brother though. Death is not something to be toyed with."_

 _Hannibal stared at her. He looked down at his shaking hands. Hannibal spoke, "What do you want?"_

" _You have caught my attention because of your hatred for Rome and because you are one of the most powerful mortals of this generation. I want you to become my champion," Clotho answered. "I know you do not understand what that means, and you do not care. You just want to destroy Rome."_

 _"After this war, I will be speaking to you. My offer is one of immortality and greatness," Clotho continued. "I will find you when it is time. Think about it."_

 _Clotho disappeared from sight. Hannibal stared at where the Fate had been standing. He finally sat down and put his head in his hands._

* * *

Reyna opened her eyes, and she gasped in pain. She was laying on her stomach in the room. No one else was around. Reyna closed her eyes and thought about her dream. It left her feeling absolutely sick and confused.

Why did Clotho want Hannibal as a champion? Was it possible that Adonia had been wrong about Hannibal being the champion of Atropos? There was no way that Atropos would steal Clotho's champion away from her, would she?

Reyna sighed tiredly. She didn't want to think about what she would have to do. Along with finding the champion of Clotho, she would have to help Clarisse with the sword, and a target on her list was near her location.

"Damn it," Reyna grumbled as she slowly stood. She slowly changed her shirt and tried to ignore the pain that shot through her right side. After that, Reyna slipped her jacket on. She turned and saw Athena watching her.

"Reaper," Athena greeted. Reyna didn't respond. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pill bottle. Reyna took her pills silently.

"What do you want?" Reyna asked after a few moments. She looked at Athena and tried to ignore the agonizing pain in her shoulder. Athena studied her for a moment.

"I see your first encounter with Arimaspi did not go well," Athena commented. "They pay tribute to the more violent gods. I am not one of them."

"I assumed," Reyna said. She put a hand to her shoulder. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Athena walked towards her. She was gripping a sword sheathe. Reyna looked down at the black handle. She spoke, "The sword of Clotho?"

"It is your duty to deliver it," Athena said in a quiet voice. Reyna slowly grabbed the sword sheathe. She was careful to avoid touching the sword's handle.

"Who am I delivering it to?" Reyna questioned. Athena looked away.

"Even with the dreams, you haven't guessed the answer?" Athena asked. Reyna shook her head. She leaned on a wall. "Think about it reaper."

"Clotho wanted Hannibal Barca to be her champion. He absolutely hated Rome. The hatred only increased when he lost a loved one because of Rome," Athena continued.

"The champion hates Rome," Reyna muttered. She looked at a wall in concentration. "They are a female. The Arimaspi know about her. Atropos wanted someone else to be picked."

"You are missing the most important clue of all," Athena stated. She held a hand out. "Let us go."

Reyna slowly tucked the sword under her arm. She carefully grabbed Athena's hand. The goddess spoke, "Close your eyes."

Reyna closed her eyes. She made sure the sword didn't slip from her arm. For a moment, it felt like she was spinning. Reyna opened her eyes and realized they were standing the middle of the street.

"Come," Athena ordered. She stared to walk. Reyna followed her. They walked towards a large apartment complex. "Have you still not realized who it is?"

"No," Reyna muttered. Every step sent pain through her back and shoulder. She couldn't even focus on solving the mystery.

"Can you take the stairs?" Athena asked. She examined Reyna and sighed. "No. That wouldn't help your injuries any. It seems we will take the elevator."

Reyna didn't appreciate how nice the apartment complex was until they stepped into the lobby. Marble tiles covered the floor. There was an elevator and stairs to their left. The wallpaper had beautiful designs on it.

Athena led her towards the elevator and pressed the button. The goddess waited impatiently for the door to open. Reyna stepped inside and laid her head against the elevator. She gritted her teeth in agony.

"Hannibal Barca was one of the greatest generals in the world. He was the general for Carthage. There was two specific things that attracted Clotho," Athena began.

"Hatred of Rome," Reyna muttered. She pressed her head against the elevator trying to get the pain to go away. "But, did Atropos steal Hannibal from her sister?"

"Yes," Athena responded. "You must focus though. What is the thing that appealed so much to Clotho? What is the thing that sets Hannibal apart from you and Clarisse?"

Reyna stared off into the distance. She tried to think. Reyna closed her eyes as the elevator started to move up. The pain made it impossible to think.

The elevator opened, and Reyna's answer came. She cursed in Latin and pushed herself off of the wall. Reyna followed Athena down the hallway.

"Hannibal was a mortal," Reyna muttered. Athena nodded once. She knocked on the door. Reyna looked up as the door open. Sally Jackson stared at them.

"May we come in?" Athena questioned. Sally nodded slightly. Her hand was shaking.

"Sally," Reyna greeted. She slowly held Clotho's sword out. Sally closed her eyes. After a moment, she grabbed the sword by the handle.

Sally gripped the sword and stepped aside. Reyna walked inside. She looked around the living room. The first thing that caught her attention was the pictures on the wall.

"When did Clotho approach you?" Athena questioned. She sat down on the couch. Reyna stayed standing. She looked at the rest of the apartment.

"It was when I was four," Sally answered. She swallowed painfully. "I didn't remember it until this morning. She marked me when I was child and told me she would be back."

"You never received the sword?" Reyna questioned. She put a hand to her shoulder and gripped it tightly.

"No," Sally whispered. She looked up at Athena. "I can't just leave Paul. What am I suppose to do about Percy?"

"You must go with Reyna. She will help train you and understand what it means to be a champion of Clotho. I assume Clotho will be meeting with you soon," Athena explained.

Sally looked at Reyna and slowly nodded. She looked like she was in shock. Sally spoke, "Can I pack?"

"Quickly," Athena answered. Sally nodded and hurried away. She had taken Clotho's sword with her.

"Why Sally?" Reyna questioned. She watched Athena closely.

"I do not know," Athena answered. She stood. "I want to ask you a favor reaper. Please take care of Sally. My daughter loves her like a second mother."

"I'll train her and protect her," Reyna swore. She tightened the grip on her shoulder. Reyna looked around the apartment.

"Thank you," Athena said. She placed a hand to Reyna's shoulder. "Your mother is very proud of you."

Reyna tried to speak, but she lost her voice. She looked down and swallowed painfully. Reyna spoke, "Thank you."

"Stay focused," Athena said. "I know that you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, but all you can do is focus on the task you have ahead. It will work out."

Reyna nodded once again. She focused on the ground as Athena squeezed her shoulder. The goddess of wisdom turned away and walked out. Reyna sat down and stared at the ground.

It was a few minutes before Sally walked back into the room. She was holding a backpack looking unsure. Reyna looked at her and spoke, "We should get going. You can contact Percy and Annabeth when we're in a safe area."

"Are the Arimaspi after us?" Sally questioned. Reyna looked up in surprise. Sally looked down. "They killed my parents. I'd rather not talk about it."

"They are," Reyna confirmed. She stood and looked at Sally. It was hard to imagine her as the champion of Clotho. "We should get going. There's a lot we need to talk about."


	7. Before the Fall

**Thank you for all of the follows, favorites, and reviews.**

 **Flame: I usually write all of my chapters as I go. There are plot points and things that I know I want to happen, but I usually just go chapter by chapter.**

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Annabeth leaned on Percy as they both watched the two figures in front of them. Percy had a tight grip that promised to never let her go. He had gone ballistic when she had just appeared bleeding out. Hazel was too tired from the shadow traveling to explain what happened.

Will healed Annabeth as soon as he could. Annabeth had been back on her feet and helping with the rebuilding of Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. Frank was currently visiting to work out how to get supplies.

"Would you like me to go get the Pegasi we have and have them fly over our abundance of supplies?" the girl in front of them questioned. Her name was Sarah. She was a daughter of Lelantos. "While I am at it, I'll just go ahead and raise the dead."

Frank was clearly running out of patience. His hand was gripping the table. Frank took a deep breath and spoke, "We need any supplies you can spare."

"We can't spare any," Sarah snapped. "Since the Olympians don't like us, we've have to build a wall to protect us from monsters your camps have barriers for. Why couldn't it just stay like it was before the war?"

"You deserve a camp for all your contributions," Annabeth answered. Sarah looked at her. The hood that Sarah wore cast a shadow over her face, but the glare was evident.

"Alex wouldn't have believed your bullshit," Sarah muttered. She was still extremely bitter that her girlfriend had died in the war. "You just want to keep the demititans under your thumb. It's disgusting."

Before Frank could respond, an Iris message appeared in front of them. He stared in surprise. Annabeth looked up at the message. She met Reyna's eyes.

Annabeth had not seen Reyna since she had been exiled. Reyna looked absolutely terrible. There was visible bags under her eyes. Blood was starting to stain her shirt near her right shoulder. The scariest part was her eyes.

After Reyna had become a vessel for Kronos, there had been a small tint of gold in her eyes. Now, the gold circled her pupil. It did nothing to hide the pure hatred in Reyna's eyes.

"Clarisse found you," Annabeth guessed. Reyna nodded slightly. She didn't stop glaring. "My mother said we needed to work together."

"Hylla wants a meeting," Reyna muttered. "The champion of Clotho has been revealed. We are going to be plunged into a war."

Reyna stopped talking and closed her eyes. She put a hand to her shoulder and gripped it. Reyna opened her eyes and continued, "The Arimaspi are the ones who attacked you. They are working with Sula."

"What do you think they're going to do?" Frank asked after a moment. Reyna looked at him and glared even more. Frank's vote had been the one that got her exiled, and it seemed that Reyna did not forget that fact.

"You are a son of Mars. The answer should be clear," Reyna said. She looked back at Annabeth. "Clarisse found where the first piece of the sword was. You, Percy, Frank, and Chiron will come to the Amazon base."

"If we don't?" Percy questioned. He crossed his arms.

"Then, you won't be able to work out an agreement for the supplies you want. Personally, I really don't care," Reyna answered.

"You don't care about anything," Percy snapped. He stepped forward. "You want to kill Hazel and Leo!"

"Calypso bought them time," Reyna hissed. Annabeth looked up in surprise. What did Reyna mean by that?

"What do you mean?" Frank questioned. He was staring at Reyna in surprise. The daughter of Bellona didn't answer for a few moments. Annabeth thought it was from anger, but she then realized that Reyna was in tremendous pain.

"She told me how to get to her island," Reyna answered. She looked Annabeth in the eyes. "The Labyrinth leads straight there. Another entrance also exists at your camp."

"Where?" Annabeth questioned. Reyna shook her head to show that she didn't know. Her eyes closed again.

"The Arimaspi know about it and have been navigating it. They kept Amazons at Ogygia and have beaten information out of them," Reyna explained in a quiet voice. "Calypso told me how to get there, and she earned them another month to live."

"Month?" Frank demanded. Reyna opened her eyes and looked at him. Somehow, her glare intensified.

"I could of killed her while you two were on your little date," Reyna whispered. Frank's eyes widened. "For someone who cares about Hazel so much, you left her exposed. It would have been a simple matter."

"You should have done it then," Sarah interrupted. She looked at Annabeth. "If you're done wasting my time, I'm leaving."

Annabeth could do nothing but nod. Sarah turned to leave. Reyna spoke, "The Arimaspi may try to attack you. If they do, the leaders are extremely dangerous and can only be killed by one person. Stay safe."

"I will. Thank you for the warning," Sarah said. She glared at the others and walked out of the room. There was silence for a few moments. Annabeth finally looked back at Reyna.

"We expect you here in three hours," Reyna muttered. Annabeth studied her. Reyna muttered an address and ended the Iris message.

"If she hurts you," Percy began. He gripped her hand tightly. Annabeth gave him a reassuring look.

"You'll be there," Annabeth said. Percy nodded as Chiron walked into the Big House. He looked exhausted. Chiron looked at them.

"Reyna sent us an Iris message," Percy explained. He was gripping Annabeth's hand tightly. "She wants us to meet her and Hylla with you and Frank."

"The champion of Clotho has been revealed," Chiron guessed. He sounded tired. "The Arimaspi have been making moves, and we must prepare for another war."

Annabeth looked down. This was going to the third war they were plunged in. She sighed sadly and looked up. Frank caught her eyes. He had the same sad look.

"We will leave in five minutes, but I want everyone in full armor. Frank, you can borrow a set. I'm sure the Ares cabin will have what you need," Chiron said. He walked away before they could respond.

Annabeth looked at Percy in surprise. Chiron had never requested that of them. It seemed to show how serious the Arimaspi threat was. Percy kissed her gently and nodded to Frank. He led Annabeth out of the room.

"I will only be a minute," Percy promised. He seemed reluctant to leave her side. Percy turned and jogged towards his cabin. Annabeth walked towards her.

The daughter of Athena walked towards her bed. She grabbed the box out from under it and pulled out the armor. It didn't take long to put on. She tucked the helmet under her arm.

Annabeth looked around her room. There was fewer beds occupied. She didn't want to know how many more siblings she would lose. They couldn't even fix the barrier of the camp. How were they suppose to defend against another army?

Her thoughts were interrupted as Percy stepped into the cabin. Annabeth grabbed her sword and looked at him. She spoke, "We need to find the second entrance to the Labyrinth."

"I already told Malcolm. He said he would look with Leo," Percy explained. His hand grabbed Annabeth's. "Where are we meeting Chiron at?"

"Probably the barrier," Annabeth answered after she thought about it. She followed Percy out of the cabin. Frank caught up with them a moment later. He was putting his armor on as he walked which looked quite awkward.

Annabeth stopped walking, so Frank could put the armor on. She spoke, "Hazel is here with Nico. Should we tell them?"

"No," Frank answered. "I want them out of trouble. Nico will want to go to Reyna, and I don't trust Reyna."

That was Annabeth's fault. She had pulled Frank aside and told him that Reyna would kill Hazel. Those were the words that led to Frank changing his vote to exile Reyna.

Annabeth frowned as she thought. Exiling Reyna was the best option, and no one could make her believe otherwise. Besides, Reyna was not trustworthy.

It was hard to pinpoint the exact moment that Annabeth lost her faith in Reyna. It may have been when Reyna had tricked them into going into a hospital, so she could kill Jason. It may have been when the daughter of Bellona had not told them about Kronos.

As she thought about it, she knew the answer. Annabeth had trusted Reyna until the very end. It wasn't until she held the paper from Atropos in her hands that Annabeth lost her faith in Reyna. Seeing the words to kill Leo and Hazel was too much.

If it was anyone else, Annabeth would not have been as worried. Reyna was different. She was a Roman. Reyna would fulfill her duty. It didn't matter who she had to kill to do it.

That's what scared Annabeth the most. This war was only a temporary distraction. When it was over. Annabeth did not know how she was going to stop Reyna from killing her two friends.


	8. Coup D'etat

Gwen was not having a good day. She had spent half of the day in a stupid Senate meeting. Gwen got angrier and angrier as the new praetor kept openimg his stupid mouth.

Normally, Gwen didn't have problems with praetors. She had known Frank ever since he had come to the camp. Jason was one of her best friends. Reyna had been a great praetor. The girl before her was almost as good.

Everyone thought that a centurion by the name of Astrid would take over Reyna's former position of praetor. Astrid helped keep the legion together during the war, but the Lars thought differently. They had elected a former member of the legion to the position of praetorship.

The new praetor was an asshole. He also talked down to everyone and acted like he was Jupiter's gift to man. If Gwen had to pick a worst part, it was that the new praetor hated her and her family.

Gwen's father had beat him out for position of praetor, and her father had just been a better person overall. Gwen wished her father could have become the new praetor, but he had been away to take care of his sick sister.

Gwen sat through the meeting because she had retaken her old position of centurion. The fifth cohort lacked a centurion after Dakota's death. It still hurt to think about. Dakota had been her best friend at Camp Jupiter.

Now, she was standing in the middle of the meeting with the the new praetor staring her down. Gwen raised her head defiantly. She spoke, "Praetor, you have to overturn Reyna's exile."

"Why should I?" the praetor asked. He walked towards her and looked down at her. He was six feet and two inches. He was also a bully. "She managed to destroy one quarter of our legion in one mission."

"Reyna saved our lives," Gwen said. She was careful to keep her temper. It would not do to anger the praetor.

"Andronicus," a Lar began. He stood from his seat. "I believe that we should overturn the exile. We need anyone that we can get. Reyna can go back to the rank of probatio and work her way back up."

"Cato, you know she committed patricide," Andronicus snapped. He looked back at Gwen. "Have you grown so soft that you cannot uphold our traditions? I see your father has worn off on you."

"We didn't even hear her side of the story," Gwen snapped back. "And, my father was a better praetor than you will ever be!"

Gwen knew she shouldn't have had the outburst, but no one was going to talk bad about her father. He had almost been exiled as well back when he was a centurion. Gwen glared at Andronicus.

"Centurion, I would watch your tone," Andronicus began. He walked towards her and slapped her hard. There was shouts of protests from behind her, but Gwen barely registered them.

Gwen was one of the nicest people at New Rome. She had always been a positive person, but she had reached her breaking point. Half of her friends had died, and the other half was never at camp anymore.

"You're not even half the praetor that Reyna was," Gwen spat. That earned her another, harder slap. The force of it made her stumble back.

"If you lay another hand of my daughter, it will be the last thing you do," a man warned as he walked into the room. Gwen slowly looked at her father. She could feel the red mark on her face was burning. Her father's gaze focused on it.

"I wouldn't threaten me," Andronicus sneered. His fist were clenched

"Yet, I just did," Gwen's father said. He walked towards Gwen and grabbed her shoulder. There was tension in the room, but there was no way that Andronicus would try anything.

"The traitor's exile will not be overturned," Andronicus decided. "If I had my way, I would banish her from memory."

"Don't," Gwen's father whispered in her ear. Gwen unclenched her fist. As they were about to leave, the door opened by them.

Gwen turned and stared as a figure in all white walked into the room. She was flanked by ten barbarians. Gwen stared at Sula.

Sula had been one of the greatest praetors at Camp Jupiter. She had a hard fall, but Reyna had helped prop her back up. Sula was a mentor for Reyna. She then became a traitor and worked with Caelus.

"Andronicus, it is so nice to see you again," Sula greeted. She walked towards them.

"You as well," Andronicus said in a pleasant tone. Gwen had a twisted feeling in her gut. She turned and saw Andronicus stab her father in the back.

"No!" Gwen yelled at the top of her lungs. The entire room was plunged into chaos as barbarians attacked members of the Senate. None of that mattered to Gwen.

Gwen didn't have a weapon on her. All she had was a gauntlet that she used to punch Andronicus in his traitor face. She saw his nose break, and blood flowed from it.

Gwen caught her father before he could collapse. He grabbed her and spoke, "Go."

"I'm not leaving you," Gwen whispered. Her father moved his hands to her face. Nothing else mattered in the world other than her father.

"Go," her father repeated. "You need to find Reyna and get her to help. This is a damned coup d'état. I love you Gwen."

Her father shoved her away. Gwen fell back and stared as her father unsheathed his own sword and attacked a barbarian. Gwen's heart felt like it was being torn in half, but she stood and ran.

Gwen managed to slip past a barbarian and run out the door. She stared at the scene in front of her. There was around twenty dead Romans on the ground. Barbarians were attacking the rest.

Gwen's mind went into overdrive. She had to rally some of the Romans, but it was clear that the barbarians were going to win this battle. Gwen knew that Camp Jupiter was going to fall for a second time. The biggest difference was that there would be no grand escape for everyone.

For the first time, Gwen felt helpless. There was nothing she could do to save her home. Gwen looked around for a friendly face. Her gaze focused on Jacob.

Jacob was the Aquilifer for the legion. He carried the standard for the legion. The Aquilifer was a very sacred position, and they were some of the bravest in the camp. The standard was strapped across Jacob's back no doubt as a rallying point.

"Jacob!" Gwen yelled. She ran towards hm and grabbed a fallen sword. Jacob looked back at her. He did not have as much fighting experience as the others. "Follow me!"

Gwen grabbed his arm and pulled him along. She saw Nathan and Marcus standing together surrounded by five barbarians. Nathan was in the third cohort. Marcus was as well.

Two barbarians turned towards Gwen. She killed one before he could react. The other only managed to slash her arm before a pilum buried itself in his chest. Gwen nodded thankfully to Jacob.

The other three barbarians were easily taken out. Gwen dispatched the last one with a stab to the chest. She shoved them down and glared.

"Centurion, what is the plan?" Nathan questioned. He was breathing heavily. There was a bleeding wound on his leg, and Marcus was practically holding him up.

"We have to go," Gwen whispered. It hurt her to think about.

"This happened once before. We can't let it happen once again," Marcus argued. He jumped as Bobby and Michael Kahale hurried to their side.

"We are leaving," Gwen repeated. "You can stay if you want, but there is nothing we can do. I am going to find Reyna."

"Do you think that she can help us?" Michael questioned. Gwen nodded. "Let's go then. I doubt Sula will kill the others. She just wants to capture them and flaunt it in our face."

Jacob looked torn. He slowly spoke, "My family."

"Andronicus killed my father," Gwen whispered. Sadness tore through her heart. "Sula is not cruel enough to kill all of the Romans. Your family will be safe."

They all looked at her and nodded. Gwen looked around and saw barbarians starting to turn towards them. Gwen turned and ran. She could hear the others following.

"Where is Reyna at anyway?" Bobby questioned. Truthfully, Gwen didn't know. She just knew they needed to leave.

"How did the barbarians get in?" Gwen asked as they left the main bulk of fighting behind.

"They walked through the front door," Michael answered angrily. "Our guards never stood a chance. I stabbed one of them in the chest, but it didn't do anything. He kept going and killed Don with one of his axes."

Gwen looked down. She knew where they needed to go. Reyna had told her about the exit during one of their meetings. Gwen stopped as she reached the temple of Bellona. It had been the first one that had been rebuilt in hopes of appeasing Bellona.

Gwen figured that it didn't work. She walked towards the statue and looked for the symbol that Reyna had told her about, but it wasn't there. There was a fresh coat of paint. Gwen placed a hand to the statue and heard a click.

The statue opened up. Bobby backed away in surprise. Gwen motioned for them to follow as she stepped into the darkness. After they all stepped in, the door closed.

The standard lit up to illuminate the dark hallway. Gwen looked around and took deep breaths. She grabbed a phone from her pocket. Hylla had given her Reyna's number a few days ago, and Gwen intended to use it.

Gwen dialed the number into her phone. She put it on speaker, and they all waited there in tense silence. Jacob was watching Gwen intently. He was the youngest of them since he was only fourteen.

"Hello?" Reyna slowly asked. She sounded groggy.

"Reyna, it's Gwen. We need help," Gwen said. She looked at the others and saw that they shared the same scared look she was trying to hide.

"What happened?" Reyna slowly asked.

"Camp Jupiter was attacked by Sula," Gwen began.

"There was another man who was with them. He had two axes. I stabbed him, and he kept going," Michael added.

"Damn it," Reyna muttered. "How many did you get out of there?"

"Six," Gwen whispered. Reyna didn't answer. Gwen took a deep breath. "I knew we had to leave. It was my fault."

"It's not," Reyna said. She had a pained tone to her voice. "Where are you at now?"

"The Labyrinth," Gwen answered. "We're right at the entrance."

"I'll be there soon," Reyna promised. Gwen could hear a door opening. "Clarisse, you need to send a message to Camp Half-Blood and put them on high alert. I'll be back."

Gwen couldn't make out the response, but Reyna fell silent and slammed a door shut. Reyna spoke, "Don't move an inch. Keep an eye on each other and guard the entrance just in case."

"We will," Gwen promised. She swallowed painfully trying not to think about everything that had happened. "Reyna, do you think that we can save the other Romans?"

"Yes," Reyna responded. Gwen saw everyone but Michael look relieved. Michael and Gwen knew better. They knew that Reyna was lying for the sake of the others, and there was a good chance that the other Romans would not get out alive.


	9. Fide Nemini

Reyna hated her life sometimes. Having to see her former comrades standing in the Labyrinth looking terrified and defeated was more than she could handle. It had been two hours and thirty minutes since she had sent the Iris message to Chase.

The sight of the Romans snapped Reyna out of her angered state. She walked towards them. Gwen looked up and walked towards her. Reyna spoke, "Injuries?"

"Nathan," Gwen answered. "It's a pretty bad cut, and we don't have any medicine to put on it."

"Can you walk?" Reyna questioned as she looked at Nathan. He nodded slightly. "Let's get going then."

"Where to?" Michael questioned. He helped Nathan stand.

"The Amazons until we can think of a plan," Reyna answered. She grabbed the rope that was over her shoulder. Part of it was tied to her belt. "Grab the rope and pass it on. Don't let go of it because I am not coming back for you."

Reyna watched the six Romans grab onto the rope. She grabbed the flashlight from her belt and turned back around. Gwen was closest to her.

"Do you have a plan?" Gwen whispered. Reyna didn't answer as pain flashed in her head. She gritted her teeth and gripped the string and flashlight in her hand. The stress of everything had become too much, but Reyna didn't trust anyone enough to tell them about it.

"We'll figure something out," Reyna muttered. "Tell me what happened."

As they walked, Gwen told her story. Michael was next, and he described Macsen perfectly. Reyna's wounds ached from the thought of him. The other four just gave stories of how they fought.

"How did Sula get to the Senate building without anyone in there knowing?" Reyna questioned. "Where was Terminus?"

"We don't know," Gwen answered. Reyna looked down as a million thoughts ran through her head. She had to kill the names on Atropos' list. The Fate also wanted her to visit a therapist.

Then, there was the war with the Arimaspi. Clarisse needed to find pieces of her sword. The Romans had to be rescued. Reyna also had to work with Chase.

"How are you doing?" Gwen whispered. She sounded concerned.

"Fine," Reyna muttered. Gwen didn't need to know the truth. Reyna led the Romans through the Labyrinth in silence. There was multiple traps, but they were pretty easy to avoid.

After what felt like a hour, Reyna stopped. She placed her hand to the wall and watched it open. Reyna led the Romans out into the sunlight. When everyone was out, she cut the rope from her belt.

Reyna turned to look at Gwen. She spoke, "We have to go talk to my sister and explain what happened. The Greeks may be here already."

Gwen nodded. Her eyes were focused on Reyna's. The daughter of Bellona did her best not to glare. She led the Romans to the building in front of them.

No one spoke until they were inside. The Amazon at the front desk stared, but Reyna ignored her. She led the Romans to Hylla's office.

Reyna opened the door without knocking. She stopped as she saw Hylla talking to Annabeth. Reyna's urge to kill increased by one thousand percent. She glared.

"Where have you been?" Hylla demanded as she stood. Annabeth turned to look at her. Reyna motioned to Gwen, but she didn't take her eyes off of Annabeth. Her hand moved to grip her sword handle.

Gwen told her story quickly. By the end of it, Annabeth was staring. Hylla started cursing in anger.

"They are going for quick attacks," Annabeth said.

"Really captain obvious," Reyna snapped. Annabeth looked at her. Reyna glared even more. "You should go back and protect your little camp."

"Reyna, enough," Hylla hissed. Reyna glared at her sister. Why was she taking Annabeth's side? "We're in the middle of a meeting. Leave."

Reyna turned and stalked out. She looked at Gwen and spoke, "I know empty rooms the six of you can take. Come on."

Gwen nodded and led the other Romans. Reyna took them to the room in silence. She was doing her best to keep control of her boiling temper. It was going to explode sooner or later.

"Get some rest," Reyna ordered. She walked away before the Romans could respond. Her plan was to go to her room and punch a wall until her healing hand was broken again

Reyna walked into her room. She flung her flashlight at the ground. Reyna paced back and forth gripping her right hand. Her hand no longer had the glove on it, but it still hurt to make a fist.

As Reyna raised her fist, a hand grabbed her arm. Reyna turned and stared. Bellona spoke, "Don't."

"Mother," Reyna said. Bellona watched her. "What is it now?"

"We have much to discuss. That includes how we are going to save your home," Bellona answered. Reyna shook her head.

"Camp Jupiter is not my home anymore," Reyna muttered. "They stabbed me in the back. It isn't fair."

"It is not fair," Bellona confirmed. "But, my children have never had it easy. That is because you are the strongest. You must rescue the Romans and bring the lost legion to light."

"Lost legion?" Reyna questioned. She stared at her mother unsure of what to say.

"I am getting ahead of myself," Bellona commented. She led Reyna towards the bed. There was a suit of armor laying on it. Reyna stared.

The armor was black with a tint of red. It was just like her helmet. Bellona spoke, "It took them ten years to craft just one greave. Take care of it."

"I will," Reyna whispered. She gently picked up the breastplate. It was called a Roman Lorica Segmentata. The armor was great, but it was a pain to keep clean.

Her attention turned towards the manicas for her arms and greaves for her legs. Bellona grabbed her shoulder and spoke, "Dress."

Reyna didn't argue. She silently put the armor on. Bellona helped her take the splint off of her right arm and put the manica on. Reyna finally spoke, "What's next?"

"We have much to discuss," Bellona answered. She sat Reyna down on the bed and pulled up a chair for herself. Bellona sat in front of her.

"The champion of Nona cannot fully take her position," Bellona began. Reyna raised an eyebrow in confusion. "The former champion is still alive. He is currently in Rome, and you must take Sally there. Protect her."

"I'm going to Rome?" Reyna slowly questioned. "What about Clarisse? The Romans? I can't leave them."

"You have to," Bellona insisted. "There is invaluable backup there. Do you remember the Legio VI Ferrata?"

"The sixth ironclad legion," Reyna recalled. She looked at her mother, and her eye's widened. "They're in Rome?"

"When Jupiter told the twelfth legion to go into hiding, he gave the same orders to the sixth legion," Bellona explained. "The twelfth legion moved with the power of Olympus."

"The sixth legion stayed," Reyna guessed. Her mother nodded. "So, it's just like the Amazons that stayed in Greece?"

Bellona nodded. Reyna suddenly winced as pain tore through her head. Her mother grabbed her which kept her steady.

"You're hearing the voices again," Bellona whispered. Reyna waited for a few moments before she nodded. It wasn't fair. She had taken her pills like she was suppose to.

"It is the stress that you are under," Bellona explained. "It erases anything the pills have done. You must find someone to talk to."

"I don't have time for a therapist," Reyna grumbled. She didn't need to talk to a stranger.

"You have friends," Bellona began. Reyna laughed bitterly. Everyone had stabbed her in the back. She didn't have friends.

"You have friends," Bellona repeated as if she could read Reyna's mind. Reyna shook her head. "What about your sister? Nico?"

"Hylla is more concerned about everyone else than me," Reyna grumbled. "Nico probably hates me because I have to kill Hazel. They all hate me."

"Enough self pity," Bellona ordered. Reyna looked up. "You will find someone to talk to. That is an order."

Reyna just shrugged. She wasn't going to argue with her mother. It was no use anyway. No one cared about what she wanted, so why should she even listen?

Bellona watched her. She sighed and held a hand out. There was something in it. Reyna didn't even care to glance at her mother's hand. Her eyes stayed focused on the ground.

"Reyna," Bellona said. Reyna slowly looked up and frowned. She saw dog tags in her mother's hand. "They belonged to your father."

Reyna looked up in surprise. Bellona gently grabbed her hand and pressed the dog tags into it. She spoke, "These are yours. I want you to keep them as a memory of what happened to your father."

"You cannot allow yourself to become him," Bellona continued. "You have much more you must do. Stay strong."

"I will," Reyna whispered after a moment. She gripped the dog tags not sure how to feel about them. Reyna finally put them on. "How am I going to tell Hylla that I'm going to Rome with Sally?"

"I am going to do that," Bellona answered. "You will go find Sally. She will need a set of armor, and some training lessons. You two will leave tomorrow."

"Will Sula keep the Romans alive?" Reyna questioned. Her mother nodded. Reyna sighed and laid back on her bed. "Do you want me to train Sally tonight?"

"She should know how to hold a sword," Bellona replied. Reyna closed her eyes. "I think you'll be a good teacher. Go get something to eat."

Reyna slowly sat up and nodded. She looked at her mother before standing. Pain shot through her head and back at the same time. Reyna groaned in pain and annoyance.

Bellona stood as well and spoke, "Lupa will meet you in Rome. Her army of wolves has gone to the demititans. They are going to be our base of operations."

"Who is the other champion of Clotho?" Reyna wondered. She looked down at her armor and grabbed her helmet. Bellona smiled.

"Do you remember the dreams you had about Julius Caesar?" Bellona questioned. Reyna nodded confused. "Do you wonder why you never saw his death?"

Reyna looked at her mother and stared. She slowly spoke, "Julius Caesar?"

Bellona nodded. She led Reyna out of the room. Bellona spoke, "Nona wanted repayment for Hannibal being stolen from her. You are aware that the soothsayer Julius spoke to was Morta. She convinced him to become Nona's champion."

"I thought she wanted a mortal," Reyna said.

"She was forced to change her mind," Bellona answered. "Clotho's champion usually just lived out their life and did not become immortal. Julius became her champion as he was dying. After a year, he begged to be able to protect Rome."

"Nona, after much discuss with her sisters, decided that Julius would be allowed to live as long as Rome did. His tattoo became golden to symbolize him as a protector of Rome," Bellona continued. "He joined the praetor guard towards the end of the empire."

"The praetorian guard from Sula's story," Reyna realized. Her eyes were wide. "He approached me during the war."

Bellona nodded and spoke, "I begged Nona to allow him to become immortal after Rome fell. She finally relented. Since Julius was tied to the life force of Rome, it gave him unique circumstances. When he steps foot out of Italy, he becomes a ghost."

Reyna nodded. They stopped outside of Hylla's office. Her mind was racing. The door opened, and Annabeth stared at them.

Reyna glared instantly. Annabeth watched her with a calm look. She spoke, "We need to talk."

A million insults ran through Reyna's head. She finally just settled with a glare. Bellona spoke, "Reyna would be happy to speak with you over a meal."

"Come on," Reyna grumbled. She turned and walked away before Annabeth could respond. Reyna had a new motto just because of Annabeth: trust no one.


	10. All Champions Must Die

**Thank you for all of the follows, favorites, and reviews.**

 **Shadowhunter3803: The answer to your question will be revealed in a later chapter.**

* * *

Annabeth was a little concerned when Reyna led her away from witnesses. They had gone to the cafeteria long enough to get food. Reyna had gotten hot chocolate and a wrapped up sandwich. Annabeth grabbed a coffee before following the daughter of Bellona.

Reyna led her up stairs. Annabeth kept behind her. She wouldn't put it past Reyna to throw her down the stairs in an attempt to kill her. Annabeth tried to find a safe topic to talk about.

"Where are Aurum and Argentum?" Annabeth questioned. She had not seen the dogs yet. Scipio had been getting outfitted in armor. The Pegasus was returned to Reyna during the war, and it seemed to be the only thing that gave Reyna happiness.

"I lost them after I was exiled," Reyna answered in a cold voice. Annabeth frowned. Finding a safe topic was really starting to backfire. "Of course, I'm sure a daughter of Athena would know that."

Annabeth didn't respond. She followed Reyna through a door and into a hallway. Reyna opened a door to a balcony. Great. Annabeth was going to die by being thrown off a building.

There was a chair that had a dagger buried into the armrest. Annabeth could see other weapons laying around along with a polishing kit. Annabeth spoke, "Nice place you have here."

Reyna didn't respond. She just sat in the chair and motioned to a folded up one. Annabeth sat her coffee down and unfolded the chair. She sat across from Reyna.

The two sat in silence as Reyna focused on unwrapping her sandwich. She looked out at the sky which was starting to darken. Reyna spoke, "What do you want?"

"We need to talk," Annabeth answered. "My mother told us that we need to work together. I know that we do not trust or like each other, but we have to cooperate."

Reyna looked at Annabeth. Her gaze then turned to the railing. Annabeth moved a hand to her sword and tensed. Reyna smirked and spoke, "Good to know you aren't as brave as you pretend."

"You're unhinged," Annabeth said. Reyna laughed bitterly.

"I am unhinged because of you," Reyna snapped. "You destroyed my life. It's funny actually. I can trace a bunch of shitty moments in my life back to you."

"That's not true," Annabeth began.

"Shut up and listen," Reyna snapped. "I told you about my life, but you don't understand anything. You never do."

"That is not true," Annabeth argued.

"You claim to hate Juno," Reyna muttered. "You are just like her. You want to protect your neat, perfect circle of friends and family. If anything threatens that, you cut them out, and that is what you did to me."

"You say that I'm unhinged. You're damn right that I am," Reyna continued. "I always have been because I've been fucked since the beginning."

"You know my father was insane. He didn't just have his episodes and was fine the other times," Reyna muttered. She looked at the ground. "He abused us. Hylla tried to protect me, but it was no use."

"Why are you telling me this?" Annabeth interrupted. She didn't understand why Reyna was telling her more about her past if she hated Annabeth. Reyna looked at her. She didn't look angry anymore.

"You want to know why I'm so screwed up," Reyna answered simply. Her tone was depressed. "My father would kick the crap out of me just because he had a bad day. What was a little kid suppose to do?"

"When I killed my father, I thought we had finally escaped from the abuse" Reyna muttered. "Hylla made us leave because of the ghosts. I followed her to Circe's island."

"We thought we were finally safe," Reyna continued. "Circe gave us a home. She tried to teach us magic but guess what? Circe abused me too. She would slap the shit out of me because I wasn't good enough. It was safe though, and that's all we wanted."

"Then, two demigods wash up on the island. The boy was turned into a guinea pig," Reyna said in a low voice. "The girl destroyed the only safe place I had and unleashed Blackbeard."

"Do you know what he did?" Reyna demanded. Annabeth looked down but nodded. Reyna watched her and waited.

"He whipped you as an example," Annabeth finally said. She met Reyna's eyes. "Even after all this time, your scars are still prominent. That means that the whipping was terrible, or it lasted a long time."

"Both," Reyna answered. There was no emotion to her voice. "After we escaped from Blackbeard, Hylla wanted to go to the Amazons. I knew I had to go to Camp Jupiter."

"I found my way to the wolf house," Reyna continued. "Lupa was happy to see me. She was tough, but she didn't abuse me. I wasn't hit, yelled at, or anything else. I loved the training."

"I made it to Camp Jupiter. Sula became my mentor. I thought I had finally escaped all of the abuse," Reyna muttered. She grabbed the dagger and twirled it in her hands. "Sula would kick the crap out of me whenever I screwed up."

"Sula abused you?" Annabeth questioned in surprise. Reyna nodded. Annabeth watched her trying to sort the feelings that she had. She was still angry at Reyna, but she also felt pity.

"I went through three wars," Reyna said. "I gave everything I had. No one seems to remember everything that I have done or the things I have sacrificed."

"You took Camp Jupiter away from me," Reyna muttered. "It was the one place that I truly called home, and it was all taken away in an instant. I guess it makes sense. Why should I be happy?"

"Do you get it?" Reyna asked as she looked at Annabeth. "I was screwed from the beginning. There is nothing I can do."

"You can not give into the dark influences in your life," Annabeth said. Reyna shook her head. She stared at the ground and focused on eating. Annabeth looked out at the landscape. "You've had a terrible life, but that does not define you."

"It does," Reyna argued. Annabeth sighed. They weren't going to get anywhere, and she was able to sort out the guilt that had been forming. Maybe, it was her fault that Reyna had been whipped, but it was not her fault that Reyna's life was so terrible. The daughter of Bellona shouldn't let her past define her.

"I want to buy Leo and Hazel more time," Annabeth said. Reyna glanced up at her with a raised eyebrow. Annabeth looked at her scar for a moment before focusing on Reyna's eyes. "What do I need to do?"

"It's not something you can bargain for," Reyna answered. She glared. "Calypso had information that I needed; therefore, we made a deal."

Annabeth glared. Her mind was racing for information. She spoke, "What about the names on your list? I can help you."

"I don't want your help," Reyna said. She stood. "I think you recall the entire conversation we've just had on how you've helped ruin my life. You are a major bitch, and I don't want anything to do with you."

Annabeth stood as well. She was tired of Reyna's attitude. Annabeth spoke, "You are the bitch here. Yeah, your entire life has been crap, but that shouldn't define who you are."

"Life experiences define a person," Reyna snapped. "You've had it easy!"

"I've had it easy!" Annabeth yelled. She shoved Reyna against the railing. "You don't understand anything either! I faced mental abuse from my stepmother and left."

"My best friend died in front of me as she sacrificed herself to save us. Zeus took pity on her which is the only reason she was able to come back," Annabeth hissed. She was shaking in anger. "I watched campers come to the Camp Half-Blood, grow up, and die! I dealt with the betrayal of someone I used to love!"

"I survived Tartarus," Annabeth hissed. Reyna glared at her. "I have not allowed my past to change me. Tartarus hasn't changed me."

"Really?" Reyna interrupted. "I remember you waking up from a nightmare and attacking me."

Annabeth punched Reyna hard in the face. She didn't mean to do it, but her anger just exploded. Reyna's fist hit her nose a moment later and shattered it.

Tears filled Annabeth's eyes instantly. She felt a hand grab her shirt and slam her into the railing. Reyna leaned in close and spoke, "I could kill you right now. I hope you understand that."

"Do it," Annabeth challenged. "Go ahead and prove that you are a complete and utter psychopath."

Annabeth didn't expect a dagger to be shoved into her neck and draw a small amount of blood. She realized how close Reyna was to snapping completely. Reyna spoke, "I would love to, and when this war is over, I might."

Reyna stood and seemed to wince in pain. She looked down at her right arm and stalked back into the building. Annabeth watched her go and slowly stood. She put a hand to her nose and leaned her head back. Her focus was to stop the bleeding.

The door opened a minute later. Annabeth glanced up to see Hylla. The queen of the Amazons walked towards her and spoke, "Reyna?"

Annabeth nodded slightly. Hylla cursed in anger and helped her. After a few minutes, they were able to stop the bleeding completely.

"I'm going to kick her ass," Hylla muttered. She rubbed her forehead as if she had a major headache. Annabeth didn't blame her.

"I antagonized her," Annabeth admitted. "I'm worried about her though."

"Reyna's not acting like herself," Hylla said. Annabeth nodded and resisted the urge to say it was the understatement of the year. "I have tried everything to get through to her, but it's not working. There's something seriously wrong with her."

Annabeth nodded. She was just grateful that Hylla no longer wanted to kill her. They had talked things out and made amends. It was mutually understood that the Arimaspi threat came first.

"You need to keep an eye on Reyna. I think she's starting to break," Annabeth began. Hylla nodded. Before Annabeth could continue, there was an explosion.

They both stared at each other for a moment. Hylla was inside the building a moment later. She quickly ran down the steps taking three at a time. Annabeth only took two at a time because she didn't want to break her neck.

Annabeth saw a girl wearing warpaint step through a door. The girl's eyes widened, and she tried to unsheathe a sword. Hylla threw a knife that hit the intruder right in her shoulder.

"Who sent you?" Hylla demanded. The girl looked up and laughed. Hylla punched her in the face.

"Sula sends her regards," the girl spat. "Our only job was to kill the champion of Clotho."

Annabeth's eyes widened. She ran into the hallway that the girl had exited. Annabeth could see Kinzie checking over two Amazons. Her eyes met Annabeth's. She spoke, "Sally's okay."

Kinzie sounded pained. Annabeth assumed it was because she was still healing from her injuries. She looked around for Sally. The fear left her as she saw Sally kneeling next to Reyna.

A destroyed wall was near them. The floor above seemed to have been taken out as well. Rubble was still falling.

"What happened?" Annabeth questioned as she walked towards them. Sally looked up. She was shaking.

"Reyna saved me," Sally answered. Annabeth looked down at the daughter of Bellona. Reyna had her left hand to her right shoulder. Her eyes were closed tightly. "Percy went to talk to Clarisse."

Annabeth would probably have to pull the two apart. That wasn't the focus at the moment. Her attention turned to Sally. She spoke, "Come on."

"Sally is coming with me," Reyna muttered. She stood. Annabeth glared at her. Reyna glared back. "An attempt was just made on her life, and we have to go to Rome."

"What?" Sally questioned.

"You are not going to Rome," Annabeth said automatically.

"Do you think I want to?" Reyna demanded. "I would rather be here helping Camp Jupiter, but I am going to get valuable backup!"

"Why does Sally have to go with you?" Annabeth hissed. Reyna's story had made Annabeth distrust the daughter of Bellona even more. All of the abuse had been kept inside Reyna, and it would explode sooner or later.

"If you want her to live, she is going to come," Reyna snapped. Sally grabbed Annabeth's shoulder.

"Reyna saved my life," Sally began. "I trust her. If she thinks that I need to go to Rome, I will."

Annabeth wanted to protest. She found that she couldn't. Annabeth spoke, "What exactly happened?"

"A girl approached me. She said that all champions must die before she pulled out a dagger. I didn't have a chance to look at it because she went to stab me," Sally explained.

"Reyna appeared from behind the girl and threw her backwards. As soon as the girl hit the ground, she exploded," Sally whispered. Her voice broke on the last word.

"The girl had a bomb attached to her. Reyna took the brunt of the explosion," Kinzie added as she walked towards them. Reyna didn't seem to notice them. Her eyes were focused on her right arm.

"Four people are going to die as a result of the explosion," Reyna reported as she looked up. Annabeth stared at her. Reyna returned her gaze to her arm and ignored everyone else.

"How do you know that?" Annabeth questioned. Reyna looked up and smiled. The smile chilled Annabeth to the bone. She realized that Reyna was becoming even more dangerous than she already was.

"I guess it's a new skill courtesy of Atropos," Reyna answered. "It's quite useful to know when someone will die. Sally, we need to train tonight, and we will leave early tomorrow. I'll see you in a hour."

Reyna walked away before Sally could respond. She gripped her right shoulder. Annabeth watched her go. She looked at Sally and spoke, "Stay safe."

"I will," Sally promised. "What happened to your nose?"

"The explosion," Annabeth lied. She gently grabbed Sally's arm and led her towards Percy who was pushing past Amazons. Annabeth's mind was racing as she tried to think.

The girl that had tried to attack Sally proclaimed that all champions must die. She then pulled out a dagger and went to stab Sally. What was so special about the dagger? Could it really kill the supposedly immortal champions, and could more be made? If so, Annabeth needed to get her hands on one.


	11. The Fall of Camp Half-Blood

Chris Rodriguez was not a happy camper. His girlfriend had disappeared without saying a word to him, and the only message she sent was an angry warning that the camp would be attacked. Percy, Annabeth, and Chiron were gone which meant it would be much easier to attack the camp.

Since he was such a good camper, he told Malcolm about it. They agreed it would be best to keep quiet about it. The leaders of the cabins were told to stay on high alert.

Chris sighed as he walked towards the Leo and Malcolm. They were talking outside the Athena cabin and were looking rather suspicious while they did. As Chris approached the two, they looked at him.

"What's going on?" Chris questioned. He leaned on the cabin and tried to calm himself down. His nerves were extremely on edge, and his mind was clouded. "And, what happened to Camp Jupiter?"

"We only know that a few Romans escaped, but I tried sending an Iris message to Annabeth this morning and couldn't get through," Malcolm answered. He looked at Chris and motioned for him to follow. He started to walk away. Leo followed behind them.

"Where are we going?" Chris asked. Malcolm glanced around. He seemed nervous for some reason. Malcolm leaned in close.

"Annabeth told me that there was another entrance to the Labyrinth in this camp," Malcolm whispered. His eyes held fear. "We have to find it before anyone can use it against us."

Horrible memories ran through Chris' mind. When he had joined Kronos, he was forced to go into the Labyrinth. The maze had taken him to many places. He had even gone to Greece. It wasn't long before the Labyrinth stole his sanity.

Clarisse saved him. She helped nurture him back to health. He swore to repay her, and he knew how he was going to do that. Chris looked up at the others.

"Is that why you're poking around at five in the morning?" Chris questioned. He hated the mornings. Malcolm nodded. "Are the Hecate kids done resetting the barrier?"

The barrier had proven to be a big problem. Ouranos managed to practically destroy Thalia's tree, and the barrier was not the same since. The children of Hecate had to restrengthen it every morning.

"They were starting to do it when I checked on them. That was a few minutes ago," Malcolm answered. He seemed distracted. Leo looked like he was lost in thought. Chris sighed in annoyance.

"I'm going to check if Rachel knows anything about where the other entrance is," Leo said. He was playing with a pencil and focusing on everything but the task at hand.

"How would she know anything?" Malcolm questioned. Leo raised an eyebrow, but he seemed distracted. It was like he knew more than he was letting on. That made Chris nervous.

"She can see the future. Maybe, she saw something that showed where the entrance was," Leo explained. Malcolm looked away and rolled his eyes.

"We'll keep looking out here. Let us know if you learn anything," Chris said. Leo nodded and walked away. Chris followed behind Malcolm.

"Do you know anything about where Annabeth is?" Chris questioned. He kept glancing around. It was lucky that Malcolm didn't look back at him. He would wonder why Chris was so nervous.

"Amazon base," Malcolm answered. "Have you talked to Clarisse?"

"Not since the warning message," Chris answered. He looked down at his watch and took a deep breath. Chris grabbed a dagger from his belt and stabbed Malcolm in the back.

Chris covered Malcolm's mouth. He spoke, "I'm sorry about this, but I have to protect Clarisse. I'll gladly exchange the life of everyone here for her."

He shoved Malcolm to the ground. The son of Athena crawled forward towards the lake. He tried to pull out a golden drachma. Chris sighed as he watched him. They had never been friends, but it still hurt.

"Iris was kidnapped two hours ago, so there will not be anymore Iris messages unless they allow it," Chris explained. "The children of Hecate are being slaughtered as we speak. The rest of the camp will soon be captured."

Chris thought that he saw movement, but it was just a tree. His nerves were frayed, and his attention was jumping everywhere. He quickly took off running back towards the camp knowing that Malcolm was as good as dead. Everyone should still be asleep.

A hand grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into the shadows. Chris turned and stared at the man in front of him. Two cold, gray eyes met his. The man spoke, "It's awfully early to be making such a ruckus."

"Akil," Chris whispered. The man in front of him smiled coldly. Akil was one of the leaders of the Arimaspi, but he was a child of Athena who joined the group. He also scared Chris absolutely shitless.

"The others are dealing with the children of Hecate," Akil said. "Where is Dionysus?"

"Gone to convince his son to come back," Chris answered. Pollux had worked with Ouranos during the last war, and there was no way he would be able to come back. Akil nodded and looked around. "What should I do?"

"We wait as the others deal with this camp," Akil answered. He leaned on a tree and stared straight ahead. "You will tell me everything you can about the reaper."

"She's suppose to kill you, right?" Chris asked. He gulped a moment later as Akil just stared at him. It was like he was reading Chris' soul. It sent fear tearing through him.

"Suppose to," Akil repeated. His eyes were like a storm. "The reaper is not to be feared."

Chris nodded slightly. His knees were shaking. Akil smiled. There was nothing comforting about the smile. Akil looked around as if he was scanning for threats.

"The reaper is a seventeen year old girl and a damaged daughter of Bellona," Akil said. He closed his eyes. "Yet, no one has been able to kill her. Why?"

"I don't know," Chris whispered. Akil opened his eyes and placed a hand to Chris' shoulder. "Maybe, it's because she is a daughter of Bellona and can fight. She might just be that good. I don't know though."

"Luck. Pure, blind luck," Akil explained. "I have a motto in my life. Do you know what it is? Everything can be broken down."

"Everything can be broken down," Akil repeated. He laughed to himself. "Plans can be broken down. Fear can be broken down. People can be broken down."

"I want one thing from you," Akil whispered. He didn't continue which forced Chris to look up at him. "I want you to give my location to the reaper."

"What?" Chris questioned. "If she is destined to kill you, why do you want to see her?"

"There is nothing to fear but fear itself," Akil said. "Everyone fears the champions. I am going to show everyone that the reaper can be broken down. Then, I will drive this dagger through her heart."

Akil unsheathed his dagger. It was a rainbow of colors. Even though it was a piece of metal, it felt evil. Chris spoke, "What is that?"

"One of the many ways to begin the killing of a champion," Akil answered. "Everyone thinks that a champion is immortal. They are. Unless, you apply the right pressure."

"What would that pressure be?" Chris slowly asked. It was clear that Akil wanted him to ask. Akil looked like he was enjoying himself.

"It depends on the champion," Akil responded. "For the reaper, it is pain. Physical and mental pain. This dagger is made up of the five major types of metal and dipped into every river in the Underworld."

"The poison held in this dagger will help me break the reaper. She will beg and plead for Atropos to free her from her duties. The only way to end a champion is for them to undo themselves," Akil finished. He took a deep breath. "All you have to do is make the meeting."

"How?" Chris asked. Akil smiled and led him towards the middle of the camp. Chris saw campers being thrown to the ground. Their arms were tied behind their back.

"Considering your life depends on it, you will find a way," Akil answered. He led Chris towards the other two leaders of the Arimaspi.

"The Aphrodite, Zeus, and Hades cabins were empty," Macsen reported. He seemed agitated. One hand cleaned his axe.

"That was your duty," Atticus snapped. "The Aphrodite cabin was too large to just disappear! They have to be here somewhere."

"It's more concerning that they managed to disappear without any of us knowing. How did they manage to leave in such a tight window?" Akil questioned. The other two leaders were forced to look up at him. Akil was over six feet tall.

"Rachel Dare is gone as well," Atticus said. He started pacing back and forth. "What are we going to do?"

"We allow them to spread the news," Akil answered. "We take the campers back to our prison. Those seen as leaders will be broken to quell any resistance. Then, we issue our ultimatum."

"What is it?" Chris wondered. He saw campers staring up at them. At him. They looked betrayed and shocked.

"We are going to make an example of one of the champions," Akil responded. He smiled. "The Hunters and Amazons are the only thing that stands in our way."

"The Hunters are walking into our trap soon," a woman said as she walked towards them. Chris knew her as Metis even though he had only seen her once before.

"The fall of Camp Half-Blood," Metis said. She turned towards the Arimaspi. "You three have done well."

The Arimaspi nodded. Macsen and Atticus were smirking. Akil was looking around as he examined all of the campers.

"My plan has worked perfectly," Metis muttered. "The reaper has done everything I predicted that she would. She has made this all possible."

"You're manipulating Reyna?" Chris questioned. "Why?"

Metis laughed and looked at him. She spoke, "Why do you think? What does every war have as its root cause? Power? Money? Revenge?"

"Well, Kronos wanted revenge," Chris began. Metis held up a hand.

"The giants wanted power. Ouranos wanted revenge. I want revenge and power," Metis hissed. "All it took was a little manipulation of a psychopath. That's how it always has been."

"What is our next move ma'am?" Akil questioned. Metis looked around the camp. She seemed to consider her options.

"Beat the crap out of the children of Athena," Metis answered. "Then, we proceed with the original plan that Akil outlined. Reyna must be the first champion eliminated."

"Why her?" Chris asked. Metis turned towards him.

"This began when the rogue Amazons first attacked Reyna. It will end as Reyna begs and pleads for Atropos to free her from being a champion," Metis explained. "Akil, your Assyrian blood should serve you well for that task."

"It will," Akil promised. He looked at the goddess "Do we need anymore loose ends?"

"No," Metis answered. Akil nodded. He turned and stabbed Chris in the chest. Chris stared at the knife that was an inch from his heart. It didn't make sense. He had done everything they had asked of him.

Chris fell to his knees. He stared up at Akil and slowly spoke, "You swore on the River Styx."

"I did," Akil said. He grabbed a rod from his belt and flipped it. Chris stared at the scythe. "I swore that your girlfriend would not be harmed, and I lied."

"If you break an oath on the River Styx, it does terrible things to your soul. Lucky for me, I don't plan on dying, and I already sold my soul," Akil said. He raised his scythe and brought it down. That was the last thing Chris saw.


	12. The Great Schism

**Thank you for all of the follows, favorites, and reviews.**

 **Shadowhunter3803: Apologizes for not answering your question last chapter. Gwen is on the list of people to die, but she is not on the one Reyna currently has.**

* * *

Annabeth bit her lip as she studied the scene in front of her. Sally was hugging Percy as tight as she could. It was obvious that she didn't want to leave. Her attention turned to the Pegasi

Blackjack and Scipio both wore armor. If it was possible, they were also glaring at each other. Annabeth crossed her arms and looked at Reyna.

The daughter of Bellona was sitting on Scipio. Her duffel bag was tied to the Pegasus as was her helmet. Reyna had a hand to her head like she was suffering a major headache.

Annabeth walked towards Reyna. She studied her and spoke, "How did training go last night?"

"Sally is a quick learner," Reyna answered in a quiet voice. "We only got through basics. I'll teach her defense tonight."

"I had a dream," Annabeth began. She felt the need to tell Reyna even if she couldn't explain it. Reyna didn't move or give any indication that she heard. Her teeth were gritted.

"Camp Half-Blood fell," Annabeth whispered. She closed her eyes. "I saw it happen. Metis planned the entire thing. They took everyone prisoner."

"Where did they take them?" Reyna questioned. She slowly looked up. Annabeth shook her head. "We need to find them."

"I know. Stay safe," Annabeth said. Reyna looked at Sally.

"She'll be safe," Reyna muttered. Annabeth suddenly grabbed Reyna's arm. Reyna slowly looked at her.

"Both of you," Annabeth said. She met Reyna's eyes. "We need everyone we can get during this war."

"Help Clarisse and find the location of the prisoners," Reyna muttered. "I'll get our help, and we assault the prison. Together."

"Together," Annabeth repeated. She held a hand out. Reyna stared at her for a few moments. She finally took Annabeth's hand and shook it.

"We have to work together for the sake of the Greeks and Romans," Reyna said. "I'll try to keep you informed."

"I'll do the same," Annabeth promised. "We are going to defeat the Arimaspi."

"What happened in your dream?" Reyna questioned. She gritted her teeth and went back to gripping her head. She looked like she was in terrible pain.

"I was following Metis," Annabeth said. "Metis said she was manipulating you. She called it manipulation of a psychopath."

"I'm glad everyone thinks that I am a psychopath," Reyna muttered. She almost seemed to smile. "Did she say how she manipulated me?"

"No," Annabeth answered. "There was something important though. One of them said you had to be the first eliminated. They were going to have you plead for Atropos to free you."

Reyna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She sat up and nodded. Reyna stared ahead and fell silent. Annabeth knew that their conversation was over.

Annabeth turned away. She nodded to Sally and hurried back inside. If she waited any longer, she would stop them from leaving. They couldn't afford that.

The daughter of Athena needed to get to the war council. They would decide what the next steps would be. Annabeth took a deep breath. She walked towards the room that had been marked for the meeting.

Annabeth was surprised to see two people already in the room. Ulysses looked up in her general direction. He was one of the leaders of the demititans. He was also blind.

"I'm going to guess Annabeth," Ulysses said. Annabeth turned as she heard Clarisse walk in. The daughter of Ares sat down angrily.

"Morning," Annabeth greeted. She sat down and looked at Adonia. A cold glance was all she received.

"The demititans have the blind as a leader," Adonia muttered. "No wonder they don't have prestige or honor."

Ulysses rolled his eyes. He was playing with a rubik cube. It didn't have any colors, but it had little dots on it. Ulysses spoke, "Alex made it for me. You don't understand how much her death has hurt us."

"Sarah wants to sit this war out. She hates the fact that Metis killed Alex and was not punished for it. We all hate that. Hammurabi's code has always been something we followed," Ulysses continued.

"A death repaid in a death," Adonia muttered. She nodded as if she respected that. Adonia leaned back and watched them.

"Are the demititans going to help though?" Annabeth asked. Ulysses nodded. She smiled slightly. They needed any help that they could get.

The door opened a moment later. Hylla walked in with Kinzie. They both looked distracted. Chiron, Percy, and Frank followed a moment later. Everyone sat down.

Annabeth explained her dream to everyone. They all listened silently. Chiron had heard the story earlier, but it still looked like the words were a knife that was stabbing him in the chest.

"I talked to Reyna, and she wants me to find the prison," Annabeth began. Clarisse held up a hand.

"What about my sword?" Clarisse demanded. "I've been pushing it off for awhile. Now, it's time that I get the first piece."

"I'll go," Ulysses offered. He looked at Clarisse. To her credit, Clarisse kept from saying anything. She even seemed to consider it.

"Let's go then," Clarisse finally said. She stood.

"Wait," Annabeth said quickly. "We still have things to discuss."

"I have to find the pieces of my sword," Clarisse began. "Until then, Atticus can run around unopposed. We need to build up our defenses using the demititans' camp. There is no more need for discussion."

Annabeth fell silent. She knew that the demititans had been working hard to enforce their camp. She just didn't know if they would accept the Greeks and Romans staying at their camp. The demititans had been accommodating so far. Hopefully, they would continue to do so.

"I would send the message to Thorn. The two of us are the only ones who can calm Sarah down, so he'll have to work on convincing her," Ulysses added. He leaned back and glanced at Adonia. "You can stop glaring at me."

"I know your mother," Adonia hissed. She stood angrily and unsheathed her sword. "I should kill you right now. You're a bastard child."

Hylla stood and grabbed Adonia. Kinzie tried to jump to her feet, but she winced and was forced to sit back down. Adonia glared angrily at Hylla.

"Stand down" Hylla ordered. Adonia sneered. She suddenly grabbed Hylla's arm and flipped her over her shoulder. Annabeth stared as the table broke from Hylla's weight.

"Leave her alone," Kinzie snapped. She jumped to her feet this time and stepped forward. Adonia glared at them and backed away.

"That boy is a bastard child," Adonia hissed. She sneered down at Hylla who was slowly getting to her feet. Kinzie helped her and glared up at Adonia. "His mother broke our laws!"

"So, my mother wanted to have sex with a god. Can you blame her?" Ulysses questioned. He was leaning back and didn't look intimidated at all.

"We cannot afford to be divided," Clarisse interrupted. She looked at Adonia. "You won't have to work with Ulysses. You just have to work with the other demititans. We'll be leaving now."

Ulysses stood without another word. He nodded in Adonia's direction and walked out. Adonia glared at them. She was shaking in rage.

Hylla glared at Adonia. It was clear the daughter of Bellona was barely keeping her anger in check. Hylla spoke, "When your Amazons arrive, we will talk."

Kinzie grabbed Hylla's shoulder and led her out of the room. Annabeth looked around at the rest of the room. Percy spoke, "That leaves us to figure out what to do."

"I'll work with you," Annabeth said as she looked Adonia. She received a nod. Annabeth looked back at the others.

"I want to talk to the remaining Romans," Frank began. "I think that I can organize them."

"Percy, you and I need to talk," Chiron said. "After that, I am going to get in contact with my brethren to see if they will help."

Annabeth nodded as she watched them. Her gaze turned back to Adonia who was just watching in silence. Adonia looked disgusted.

"Men would never have positions of power in the Amazons," Adonia muttered. "We also did not keep them as pets."

"How do you replenish your ranks?" Annabeth questioned. She walked towards the door. After a moment, Adonia nodded and followed. Annabeth led her through the halls.

"All Amazons serve till they are thirty," Adonia answered. "Then, they can continue to serve or go out into the world. They always send their girls to us. Sometimes, they send a boy as a sacrifice."

"That boy's mother broke our laws by getting pregnant. You are not allowed to until service with the Amazons has been completed," Adonia continued. She started to curse in Greek, but it was a different dialect than what Annabeth knew. The daughter of Athena still understood that it was a curse.

Annabeth nodded and kept from commenting. She knew that the differences between everyone else and the Greek Amazons would lead to trouble. Adonia studied her and spoke, "You are the second leader of this entire resistance."

"Who would you say the first is?" Annabeth asked even though she knew.

"The reaper," Adonia replied. "You two will have to work together, but I highly doubt that the two of you will be able to."

"She is a psychopath," Annabeth began. Adonia held up a hand as she stopped at a door.

"The reaper may be a psychopath, but that is what we need. Strength will not win this war. Intelligence will not win this war," Adonia said. "We need unpredictability, and that is exactly what the reaper provides. That is what will end this war."

"Are you saying that we will lose this war if we lose Reyna?" Annabeth questioned. Adonia smirked and opened the door. She met Annabeth's eyes.

"That's exactly what I am saying," Adonia answered. "If we lose the reaper, we can kiss our lives goodbye. If I were you, I would make sure that doesn't happen."


	13. Half of a Soul

Reyna rolled on her back and stared up at the ceiling. The last thing she remembered was a horrible headache. Scipio had whined, and everything went dark. Reyna slowly looked around.

She was laying on a bed in a hotel room. There was the sound of a shower running. Reyna groaned as she realized that she had another blackout. She had cost them time that they could not afford.

Reyna knew she couldn't do it anymore. There was no way. The voices and blackouts were becoming too much. Reyna stood and grabbed her phone. She rummaged through her duffel bag and pulled out a crumpled up piece of paper that had a phone number on it.

It took her a few moments to dial the number. Reyna waited impatiently. She forced herself to sit against a wall.

"Hello?" a cheery voice asked. Reyna tried to respond, but her voice wouldn't work. She stared at the ground before closing her eyes. "From the number, I assume this is Reyna."

"How did you know that?" Reyna questioned. Her eyes snapped open. She laid her head against the wall and tried to relax. Her heart was racing like she was about to walk into battle.

"Atropos gave me your number and said you would call," the woman replied. "Considering she is a Fate, I knew that you would."

"You've been waiting by your phone this entire time," Reyna muttered. She tried to make it a joke, but it didn't sound like one.

"Yes," the woman answered. "My name is Martha."

Reyna didn't respond. She was regretting calling. Martha spoke, "Don't hang up. I know you want to."

"This was a mistake," Reyna began.

"You are suffering from blackouts and hearing voices. Along with the PTSD, depression, and schizophrenia, you are a walking time bomb," Martha said. "All of those pent up emotions will explode sooner or later."

"I know," Reyna muttered. "I've tried everything. What am I suppose to do?"

"Talk," Martha responded. "We can talk about anything you want. What's your favorite color?"

"I don't know," Reyna answered. She closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. "I just don't know what to do anymore. I've done everything for those assholes, and they stabbed me in the back."

"Annabeth blames me for her father's death. I didn't even know he had been taken. What was I suppose to do? It's not fucking fair," Reyna snapped. The words just came out. "I hate this."

Reyna dropped her phone and put her head in her hands. Tears leaked out. She didn't try to stop the tears. Reyna had been holding it all in for too long, and she just couldn't do it anymore.

Reyna cried miserably. There was nothing she could do to stop it. A hand gently grabbed her shoulder and pulled into a hug. Reyna tried to pull away from Sally.

"Don't," Sally whispered. She held Reyna tightly. Reyna didn't try to stop the crying. She finally just let it all out.

Reyna pulled away after awhile. She wiped her eyes. Sally examined her. Reyna looked down and grabbed her phone. She put it to her ear.

"I'll call you back," Reyna mumbled. She hung up. "Annabeth's father didn't die because of me. I couldn't do anything about it."

"Why do I get the blame?" Reyna demanded. "I have done everything. I have given everything that I can, and it is not good enough."

Sally sat by her. She spoke, "I know how it feels. When Percy was young, I did everything in my power to protect him We moved from place to place. I married a pig, so Percy's scent would be disguised."

"It wasn't enough," Sally continued. "They found Percy. Hades sent a Minotaur to capture me. That plunged Percy into the life I sought to protect him from."

"Who did you marry?" Reyna asked after a moment. She slowly looked at Sally.

"His name was Gabe," Sally answered. She sighed sadly. "He was terrible. He hit me, but I managed to protect Percy from that."

"He was abusive?" Reyna mumbled. She saw Sally nod and look away. Memories ran through Reyna's mind of her own father. "My father abused me as well."

Sally looked at her in surprise. Reyna wouldn't meet her eyes. She swallowed painfully. Sally spoke, "How old were you?"

"It started when I was seven," Reyna responded. She forced herself to focus on a stain in the carpet. "My father had the same mental illness that I do. He would get angry or have flashbacks to combat, and he just lost it."

"The abuse has followed me everywhere I went," Reyna muttered. "The only time it wasn't with me was when Lupa trained me. I guess wolves are better than humans."

Sally placed a hand to her shoulder. She stood and held a hand out. Reyna slowly took it. Sally pulled her to her feet.

"We will get some food before we go," Sally said. Reyna couldn't argue with her. In fact, she wanted to talk more. It seemed like Sally actually cared. She wasn't talking to Reyna because they needed her for the war effort.

"Sally, can I ask you something?" Reyna questioned. Sally looked at her and smiled. Reyna looked away. "How did you deal with the abuse?"

"I cried a lot," Sally admitted. "There was nights when I would cry myself to sleep. I would always remind myself that is was for Percy. It made everything better."

"Well, this is a wonderful heart to heart," a voice interrupted. Reyna turned and stared at Metis. As she went to grab her sword, the goddess kicked her in the knee.

Reyna was punched a moment later. She fell back stunned. It felt like a truck had hit her. Blood was gushing from her nose. The pain in her leg was the worst though.

If it wasn't for her armor, her knee would probably have been snapped in half. Instead, there was terrible pain. She knew that her knee could not support her weight.

A man walked towards her. He grabbed Reyna by her neck and picked her up. She grabbed at his hands and gasped. He spoke, "This is the reaper?"

"I told you she wasn't much," Metis answered. Reyna managed to glance at Sally who was staring at them. Sally had unsheathed her sword, but she looked frozen in place

Reyna slowly looked back at the man. He had two cold and gray eyes. Even though he was bald, Reyna suspected that he was child of Athena.

"What do you want?" Reyna hissed. Her head started pounding. She closed her eyes tightly.

"You can't get out of this by yourself," a voice in her head said. It drowned out the man's response. Reyna gritted her teeth.

"Shut up," Reyna hissed. She opened her eyes as she was thrown to the ground. The man studied her.

"Are you hearing voices again?" Metis taunted. Reyna glared at her and closed her eyes tightly. "Akil, shall we kill Sally?"

"You're not going to touch her," Reyna snapped. She forced her eyes open. As she went to stand, Akil kicked her in the face. Reyna collapsed to the ground.

"You can make this easy," Akil said as he looked at Sally. He flipped out a scythe. Reyna looked up in a daze.

"My help is the only way to escape," the voice insisted. "Your knee cannot support your weight for long. Akil will end you tonight if you don't let me help."

"Shut up," Reyna repeated. She closed her eyes tightly. Reyna could hear Akil attacking Sally, but there was nothing she could do. She was paralyzed from pain and the voice.

"Let me help," the voice hissed. "We can call my sword. With your magic and my bond, it will come."

Reyna managed to open her eyes long enough to see Sally barely block an attack. Akil disarmed her. Reyna spoke, "Do it."

Pain flared in Reyna's head. She closed her eyes tighter. Her mouth moved as words came out, but Reyna couldn't translate it. She felt a sword appear in her hands.

Reyna stood and turned. She stabbed Metis in the chest and pinned the Titaness to the wall. Metis stared at her in shock.

"You didn't calculate for every scenario," Reyna sneered. Her voice had an evil undertone to it. Reyna was only partially in control of her actions. She twisted the sword.

"How?" Metis demanded. Reyna turned towards Akil and smirked at him. His eyes widened a fraction, but he showed no other emotion besides that.

"The little, red blade is meant to send souls to Tartarus. My blade is meant to sever the soul of a god from their body. Do you understand the mistake that Hylla made when she stabbed me with that little, red blade instead of my sword?" Reyna questioned in a voice that wasn't hers. She changed from English to Greek every few words.

"Kronos, we can work together," Metis began. "I get it. You are Reyna are sharing the same body. Both of you have half your souls in Tartarus. Reyna is in control most of the time, but I can help you and retrieve the other part of your soul."

"We could work together," Reyna said in Greek. "But, I really want to send you to Tartarus. There isn't anything you can do to stop me so keep your pathetic offers to yourself."

"Akil!" Metis cried. Reyna raised her arm, so Akil's scythe hit it. The scythe bounced off of her armor. Reyna turned towards him, but something slammed hard into the back of her head.

Reyna hit the ground and closed her eyes. She heard fighting, but Reyna was waging her own battle. She was focused on an image of her tattoo. After a few moments, she felt Kronos retreat further into her mind.

Reyna opened her eyes. She caught her reflection in the window. Her eyes were gold, but they were slowly turning back to black. Reyna turned her head but kept her eyes to the ground.

There was two people standing over her. From the shoes, one of them was Sally. Another wore combat boots. Reyna tried to get to her knees, but someone kicked her in the face.

"Get up," Thalia Grace ordered. She pulled Reyna to her feet and shoved her into a wall. Reyna collapsed to her hands and left knee. Her right knee couldn't hold her weight. "I told you that you would pay for killing the Hunters."

"What's going on?" Sally questioned. She stepped in between them.

"I sacrificed the few for the many," Reyna answered. Blood wad still dripping from her nose. The scar on her lip may have been reopened. It only served to piss Reyna off more. "I would do it again."

"Sally, what are you doing here?" Thalia questioned. Reyna glared up at her.

"It's a long story," Sally began. "Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter were both attacked."

"The Hunters were as well. They captured almost everyone," Thalia said. "I barely managed to escape, so I could find help."

"So, the first thing you did was come here and attack me?" Reyna spat. Thalia took a step forward, but Sally stopped her. "I'm trying to get help for them!"

Reyna tried to stand. Her knee gave out. She cursed and collapsed to the ground. Reyna gripped her injured knee. Sally knelt by her.

"Metis destroyed something in my knee," Reyna wheezed. "I just don't know what it is. What happened to them anyway?"

"They disappeared in a bright light after Thalia came," Sally answered. She put a cloth to Reyna's nose. Reyna looked at Thalia.

"Take me to Annabeth," Thalia ordered. She was gripping her spear. Reyna glared angrily.

"She is at the Amazon base, and we are going to Rome," Reyna snapped.

"You're not going anywhere on that knee," Sally interrupted. Reyna looked at her and glared. Sally watched her calmly.

"We don't have time to waste," Reyna argued. She tried to stand but couldn't. With Kronos helping, she could withstand the pain. Now, she couldn't bend her leg without terrible pain.

"I'll go alone," Sally said.

"No," Reyna snapped. She managed to stand using the wall. Sally helped her as well. "There's no way you're going alone. You are untrained and unprepared."

"I'll go with her then," Thalia interrupted. Reyna glared at them. They didn't understand.

"I have to go," Reyna insisted. She limped forward and collapsed again. Reyna cursed in anger and hit the ground. "If I go and bring back the legion in order to save the prisoners, Camp Jupiter has to overturn the exile. They have to."

Reyna looked at the ground. She finally rolled on her back and stared at the ceiling. All she wanted was to go back to Camp Jupiter. If she rescued everyone, they would have to accept her back.

"We have to go back," Sally whispered. Reyna closed her eyes but nodded. She put her hands to her face.

"You'll need two people to help you walk," Thalia muttered. The anger in her voice was clear. "Come on."

"We can destroy Metis together," Kronos whispered in her head. Reyna didn't have the strength to keep him from her mind. "Your camp and friends have already forsaken you. Tell me when you are ready to be appreciated. I'll be waiting."


	14. Facilis Descensus Averno

Reyna glared up at the ceiling. She was laying on a bed in the demititan base. It had been the closest safe place to them, and Hylla was already there. Annabeth was as well.

At the moment, Reyna was with Rhea. The Titaness was watching her closely. Before the war, Reyna had become a champion for Rhea. She received a ring that was able to resist charmspeak. If she had just worn it while trying to kill Jason, she probably wouldn't be in her current situation.

"How are you feeling?" Rhea questioned. She had been assigned as the director of the demititans' camp. Reyna slowly looked up at her and shook her head.

"I'm screwed," Reyna muttered. She put her hands to her face. "I can't even move my knee without terrible pain. Metis almost killed Sally, and it would have been my fault."

"Sally told everyone that you managed to stab Metis with Kronos' blade," Rhea said. She looked down at Reyna critically. "How did you get his sword if it was locked up?"

Reyna didn't answer. She closed her eyes and spoke, "I guess it wasn't locked up well enough."

"Is there something you want to tell me?" Rhea questioned. Reyna shrugged. She gritted her teeth as her head ached. "Reyna, this is serious."

"If I wanted to you something, I would," Reyna muttered. Her hand moved to feel the bandage on side. She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling.

Rhea walked towards a table that held Reyna's armor and weapons. She picked up Kronos' blade. Reyna spoke without realizing it, "Don't."

"Don't do what?" Rhea questioned as she turned towards her. Reyna looked away before the Titaness could meet her eyes. Reyna caught her reflection and saw the gold in her eyes spreading.

"Don't take it," Reyna said quickly. She put a hand to her face to hide her eyes, and she tried to pass it off as hiding pain. "It could be the only way to take out Metis, and if she attacks me again, I need it."

"Good," Kronos whispered in her head. Reyna closed her eyes tightly. "Oh, you shouldn't be angry. I'm holding back the other voices. I can help you."

"Shut up," Reyna snapped. Rhea grabbed her hand. Reyna's eyes snapped open before she realized the gold was probably still spreading. Rhea watched her for a moment, but her expression didn't change. The Titaness was staring deeply into her eyes as if she knew.

"The voices are taking their toll," Rhea assumed after a moment. Reyna nodded and took deep breaths. She was scared to tell anyone about Kronos. They already didn't trust her. There was no telling what they would do if they found out.

"What about my knee?" Reyna questioned. Rhea placed Kronos' blade down. She sat by Reyna.

"Metis targeted your knee for a specific reason," Rhea began. "To fight, you must have both legs. You know this, and Metis does as well."

"What are you getting to?" Reyna demanded. She sat up and looked at Rhea.

"You cannot walk on your leg," Rhea answered. "The damage is too severe. Your ACL, MCL, and meniscus are torn. Metis wanted you disabled."

"She got her way," Reyna muttered. She laid back down and stared at the ceiling "I have to go to Rome."

"Reyna, you are not going anywhere. Your knee cannot support your weight," Rhea argued.

"I have to," Reyna snapped. Rhea shook her head. She sighed, stood, and walked out. Reyna cursed in anger. She turned her head and glared at a wall with tears in her eyes.

Reyna stared at the same spot for a long time. It wasn't fair. She was trying to do everything that she could, but they wouldn't let her. Reyna hit the bed in anger.

"I can help," Kronos whispered. Reyna cursed at him in the language of the Titans. She didn't need anyone's help. She didn't care if half of her soul was in Tartarus. It was probably where she belonged anyway.

Maybe, it would be better if Reyna just asked Atropos to relieve her of her duties. Leo and Hazel wouldn't have to worry about dying. Annabeth could have her stupid, happy family. As long as they were happy, who gave a shit about what happened to the world?

"Don't be like that," Kronos said. Reyna tried to ignore him, but pain throbbed in her skull. "Are you really going to let Metis win?"

"Why do you care?" Reyna snarled. "You just want to get out of Tartarus. Instead, you can get the fuck out of my head."

"Such language," Kronos commented. "My reason is simple. Metis gave you the plan to destroy Ouranos. She didn't do it to raise me. All she wanted was to get Ouranos out of the way, so she could enact her plan."

Reyna finally looked back at the ceiling. She sighed tiredly. Reyna spoke, "What do you get out of all of this?"

"Metis used me. I don't like that," Kronos answered. His voice held a large amount of hate.

"You're not the only one," Reyna muttered. She took a deep breath as some of the anger left. "How do we stop her?"

"We?" Kronos asked. Reyna gritted her teeth angrily. She sat up and put her head in her hands. "My blade is the only way. Your leg hinders that."

"I can't stay in a bed and rest," Reyna muttered.

"I agree," Kronos said. He fell silent for a few moments. "For now, you can help plan the assault. I will be providing advice."

"Why would I trust you?" Reyna questioned.

"You don't have to take my advice," Kronos answered. "You can just allow the Romans and Greeks to die. If you ask me, that would be an improvement."

Reyna felt Kronos retreat further in her mind which signaled the end of the conversation. She laid on the bed for a few minutes until she heard the door open. Reyna looked up and met Hylla's eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Hylla questioned. She was carrying two trays of food. Reyna shook her head angrily. Hylla walked towards her and handed her a tray. Reyna took it without comment.

Reyna sat up and quietly started to eat. She finally looked at Hylla and spoke, "How is Kinzie?"

"Better," Hylla answered. "What about you?"

"The usual," Reyna answered bitterly. She couldn't remember a time since the rogue Amazons attacked that she wasn't in pain. "Rhea told me about my leg."

"You'll need surgery," Hylla said in a quiet voice. "Nectar and ambrosia can't help because of the type of damage. Healing won't either. I'm sorry."

Reyna played with her food. She finally just focused on eating. The pain in her head had disappeared. That was one bright side to her terrible day.

"How long for recovery?" Reyna asked. Hylla looked down and didn't look back up. Reyna closed her eyes. "I want to be involved in planning. If I can't fight, I want to plan."

"Done," Hylla promised. "You have to rest the day after surgery. Then, you can move around on crutches. I was told that your recovery time could be cut down significantly if we use nectar and healing."

"You said nectar wouldn't work," Reyna muttered.

"I meant as an alternative to surgery," Hylla explained. Reyna sighed tiredly.

"How much time would it be?" Reyna questioned. She could sense her sister was hiding something. Hylla looked down.

"Two months," Hylla answered. Reyna laid back on the bed and just stared at the ceiling.

"We don't have the time," Reyna muttered. "I have to be able to kill Akil. Two months isn't going to work. You can't keep me confined to a bed."

"I know we don't have time," Hylla said. She rubbed her temples.

"Then let me out of bed," Reyna ordered. Hylla looked up at her angrily. "I have to fight!"

"No!" Hylla snapped. "You don't have to do anything. Do you understand how hard it is to be your sister? I'm suppose to protect you, but I can't because you won't let me!"

"Don't yell at me," Reyna spat.

"It's the only way to get through to you!" Hylla yelled. Her face was red from rage. "Nothing else gets through to you! Do you think I want to yell?"

Reyna tried to turn away as she started to shut down. She didn't wanted to get yelled at. It wasn't fair. What had she done to deserve her sister's anger?

"You can help plan, but nothing more," Hylla began. Her voice was softer. "I need you to work with Annabeth."

"Fuck you," Reyna said. She looked at Hylla angrily. "You don't understand anything! I need to go to Rome. No one understands that."

"Reyna, the Senate is not going to overturn your exile," Hylla stated. From the tone of her voice, she was barely keeping herself from snapping again. "Even if you manage to save everyone, they won't trust you again. We both know that."

"You're wrong," Reyna muttered. Hylla grabbed her face and forced Reyna to look at her.

"Admit it," Hylla ordered. "You and I both know it's the truth. It will be best when you realize that."

"I can't even have false hope, can I?" Reyna muttered. "You just have to go and ruin that too."

"Stop taking your anger out on me," Hylla said through gritted teeth. "I am trying to help you and make sure you stop making excuses for why you can't rest."

Reyna glared with tears in her eyes. She tried to pull away, but Hylla held her face tightly. Hylla spoke, "I'm sorry Reyna, but you have to work with me."

"Leave me alone," Reyna muttered. She looked away. Hylla lowered her hands, but she didn't move. Reyna looked back at her sister and glared angrily. "Leave. Me. Alone."

Hylla sighed angrily and stood. She walked towards the door and opened it. Hylla turned and spoke, "I just want to help you. Stop pushing me away."

"Go enjoy time with your girlfriend and the stupid Greeks," Reyna snapped. Despite the pain that it caused, she turned on her side. "You don't care about me anyway."

Reyna heard the door slam shut. A hand grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her to her feet. Hylla slammed her into a wall.

"I am doing everything in my power to keep you safe," Hylla snapped. She tightened the grip on Reyna's shirt. Reyna could only focus on the terrible pain in her leg. "Why can't you see that?"

"Bullshit," Reyna hissed. Her mouth moved before her brain could process her words. "You haven't done anything to protect me. You know what you did while you were under Circe's charmspeak!"

"I wouldn't have done it if I was in control of myself. Do not use that against me," Hylla said in a low voice.

"You helped her whip me," Reyna said. Her voice was shaky and barely working. "You did it, and you laughed. Hylla, you fucking laughed."

"I was under her charmspeak," Hylla protested. Her eyes held all of the regret that her pride wouldn't let her voice. "I didn't mean anything that I did."

Reyna shook her head. She closed her eyes as the memory flashed through her head. It was something she had not told anyone. Reyna felt ready to vomit, and a panic attack was starting.

"Calm down," Hylla said quickly. Reyna shoved her sister away. She collapsed to her hands and knees a moment later. Reyna closed her eyes and took deep breaths.

"Deep breaths," Kronos said in her head. "Open your eyes and focus on the ground."

Reyna did as she was told. It took a few moments, but the panic slowly disappeared. Hylla pulled Reyna to her feet and hugged her.

"I'm sorry," Hylla whispered. She rubbed Reyna's back. "I didn't mean to do it. I'm so sorry Reyna. You have to forgive me."

The words didn't register with Reyna. She just nodded to get Hylla off of her back. Hylla helped her back to the bed. Reyna turned on her side and curled up. She stared at a wall and realized that Kronos was quickly becoming her only ally.

"Remember," Kronos began. He sounded smug. "The descent to hell is easy. Let me help you out with it."


	15. Fides Punica

**Shadowhunter3803: I have read The Mortal Instruments, but that was a few years ago. I stumbled across the quote in a page of Latin phrases and found it appropriate for the chapter.**

 **drakonpie250: I wish I could give a specific time frame for updates, but I don't know how busy I will be this semester. Hopefully, I'll be able to update once a week**

 **Thank you to everyone for the follows, favorites, and reviews.**

* * *

Annabeth stared at the map of the demititan base. It showed the entire layout of the camp. There was secret tunnels that could only open at a demititan's touch. They led to the outside and would be invaluable during a siege.

"The only way up the wall is ropes. We have fifty archers that have trained extensively to climb it within seconds. Others are training as well," Sarah reported. She was staring at a wall to keep from glaring at them.

"My Amazons are not going to stay coped up in a camp," Adonia said. She was pacing back and forth. One hand was gripping a sword. The other was twirling a knife. Adonia finally walked back towards the table.

"Then, they will die," Red snapped. She was the demititan who had replaced Alex. Her temper was terrible, and she seemed to take everything as an insult. On the bright side, she seemed to do her job well.

"Enough," Hylla snapped. She seemed to be in a foul mood ever since a few hours ago. "Our only option is to hold out here until we find the location of the prison."

"What makes you think that we will even be successful attacking the prison?" Adonia questioned. "We should strike at the two camps and take them back. We must dislodge the enemy."

"To attack, we must have at least three times their numbers," Thorn said. He was leaning over the map. His mohawk was drooping which seemed to show how stressed he was.

"Did we ever find the campers that disappeared?" Thalia questioned. She was standing to Annabeth's left. Her eyes kept drifting back to Hylla.

"No," Frank answered. "It's like they disappeared. We don't have any clue where they are."

"So, all we have is a few Romans that managed to escape," Sarah muttered. "We are not in the shape for a full battle. Guerrilla warfare is what we must do."

"Cowardice," Adonia snapped. Sarah sighed and looked down at the map. "We must move quickly while we have the element of surprise!"

"We don't have anything," Hylla snapped. "They have three men who can only be killed by the champions. Sally can easily die until she goes to Rome. Clarisse is getting her sword and can't help us until she does."

"And, your sister is a liability," Adonia added. Hylla turned on her and glared. She gripped her knife before Kinzie grabbed her hand.

"Arguing won't help us," Percy interrupted. He looked annoyed. Sally was standing by his side. "The Arimaspi control the skies, right?"

"They will with their Griffins," a woman said. She was standing to Adonia's left, and she looked to be a few years younger. Annabeth assumed that she was the second in command for Adonia.

"How do we counteract that?" Sarah questioned.

"Arrows," Hylla answered. She spoke through clenched teeth. Adonia glanced at her.

"We can shoot them out of the sky," Kinzie added. "Even if they get over the wall, they won't have enough time to land."

"What if they all attack at once?" Frank questioned. Annabeth sighed and looked down. She was getting a headache. It was a necessary talk, but they were making no progress.

"We still need to go to Rome," Percy interrupted. He leaned on the table. "I'm going."

"I will as well," Gwen said. She had been quiet the entire time. Gwen was there because Reyna was confined to a bed. She was also an improvement "Jacob should come as well."

"The four of us will go," Percy decided. He squeezed Sally's hand tightly. "When should we leave?"

"As soon as you can," Hylla answered. "It will take time to get the legion here."

"How are we going to do that?" Annabeth questioned. "Are we just going to fly them over here? A ship would take too long."

"We'll figure it out," Kinzie said. "The first step is to get to the legion. We just take everything one day at a time."

"We don't have that luxury. This meeting is over," Hylla muttered. She stalked out without another word. Kinzie sighed and looked at the table. Annabeth met Percy's eyes and nodded to him.

"You should all get going," Annabeth began. She walked towards Sally and hugged her. "Stay safe."

"We will," Sally promised. She hugged Annabeth even tighter. Annabeth pulled away, and Percy hugged her. He kissed her cheek and then kissed her lips.

"We'll be fine," Percy promised. He looked her in the eyes. "You need to stay safe. Understood?"

"I promise," Annabeth said. She smiled. "Shouldn't I be lecturing you about safety?"

"There's plenty of war left," Percy teased. He hugged her and kissed her one last time. "Stay safe."

Percy grabbed Sally's arm and led her mother out. Annabeth took a deep breath and walked out of the room. She glanced around at the other buildings.

Demititans were all around. Most were training. Some were running supplies back and forth. Others were using ropes to climb the wall.

Annabeth forced her mind away from the preparations. She walked towards the building that Reyna was in. They needed to talk.

It only took Annabeth a moment to find the room. She took a deep breath and stepped inside. To Annabeth's surprise, Reyna was standing with her back turned.

Annabeth walked towards Reyna. The daughter of Bellona should have been resting. They couldn't afford for Reyna to delay her recovery. Annabeth grabbed Reyna by her shoulder and turned her around. She stared at her eyes met golden ones.

Reyna punched Annabeth in the face and pinned her. She spoke, "You have a habit of showing up at the worst times. It's quiet a shame really."

Reyna's voice had an evil undertone to it, but it was also her voice. It was not like when Kronos had been in full control. There was no way that Reyna could be working with him though. How did Kronos manage to get control of her again?

"Let her go," Annabeth ordered. Reyna smiled. She pulled a knife from its sheathe and ran the blade across Annabeth's neck.

"You are quite mistaken," Reyna sneered. "Kronos and I are one. Half of our souls rest in Tartarus. We complete each other."

"You're insane," Annabeth said. She gulped and felt the knife cut into her neck. Annabeth tried to keep back her fear.

"Haven't you been saying that from the beginning?" Reyna questioned. "Kronos and I have been talking. He made me realize something. I don't have friends."

"The Greek are not my friends. The Romans are not my friends. The Amazons, demititans, and Hunters are not my friends," Reyna whispered. She sheathed her knife but grabbed Annabeth's face. She pulled her close.

"Reyna, calm down," Annabeth ordered. Reyna smirked, and the gold disappeared from her eyes.

"I am going to find people who will help. That is my only job. Then, Akil will die by my hand," Reyna whispered. Her grip tightened. "After the war, I will kill Leo and Hazel."

"This isn't you," Annabeth began. Her eyes darted around. She was trying to buy time.

"I told you that I have always hidden this part of me away," Reyna sneered. "I'm done with that. I will be the psychopath that everyone claims I am."

"What are you going to do after this war?" Annabeth questioned. "You and I both know that you can't survive without friends."

"I have Fate by my side," Reyna responded. She moved both hands to grab Annabeth's neck. "Do you know how easy this would be?"

"Reyna, you need to stop and think. This isn't what you want to do," Annabeth said. She kept her voice even. "Kronos is influencing you."

"He's telling me to not kill you," Reyna snapped. She took a deep breath and looked up. Annabeth jabbed her finger into Reyna's eye. The grip on Annabeth's neck disappeared.

Reyna cursed and put a hand to her eye. Annabeth threw her off and quickly stood. Her mind raced for what to do, and her eyes focused on Kronos' blade. She stood and was tackled a moment later.

"You are not going to win this fight," Reyna warned. She punched Annabeth hard in the face. Reyna raised her fist again, but she lowered it.

"You're insane," Annabeth spat, and she believed it this time. She went to call for help, but Reyna grabbed her jaw. She punched Annabeth in the throat which stunned the daughter of Athena.

Reyna pinned Annabeth and looked down at her. She spoke, "Everything that I have done has been to win these damn wars. I have pushed myself beyond the limit more times than I can count. My mother gave me the strength that kept me going."

"I only accepted Atropos' proposal for Hylla. Atropos told me that she would die if I was not there. The first strike would be against Hylla. It seems like I was lied to," Reyna muttered. She stared into Annabeth's eyes.

"I'm going to kill you after this war," Annabeth swore. Reyna smirked and punched her hard in the face. The daughter of Bellona seemed to have finally lost it.

"Et tu?" Reyna questioned. "Atropos told me that there would be a great betrayal. I thought it was Sula. It's just her niece."

"What are you talking about?" Annabeth slowly asked. Reyna looked down at her and stood. The gold came back to her eyes as she turned and walked towards the table that held her weapons. Annabeth glanced around for a weapon as she sat up.

"Sula is your aunt," Reyna growled. She turned back towards Annabeth. Reyna was gripping the javelin, and she seemed to be fighting herself. The daughter of Bellona closed her eyes and slowly sat the javelin down.

"That doesn't make sense," Annabeth began. Reyna crossed the distance between them. She grabbed Annabeth by her neck and pulled her up. "I will ask once again. Et tu, Brute?"

"Yeah. Me too," Annabeth growled. She slipped her dagger out of her sheathe and tried to stab Reyna. The daughter of Bellona caught the blade in her hand.

"That was a really stupid thing to do," Reyna growled. She slammed Annabeth into the wall. Her eyes closed, and she seemed to fight with herself. "I'm going to kill her."

For the first time, Annabeth's mind was blank. She didn't know what to do. Annabeth knew almost everything about Reyna, but her mind refused to work.

"I should kill her," Reyna hissed like she was talking to Kronos. Her jaw clenched, and she shoved Annabeth to the ground. After a moment, Reyna turned and kicked Annabeth in the head.

Annabeth gripped her head instantly. She closed her eyes and tried to pretend like she was unconscious. Annabeth counted the seconds in her head as Reyna muttered in another language. She seemed to be shoving her things into a bag. After ten seconds, the door opened and was slammed shut.

The daughter of Athena opened her eyes. She stood and rubbed her temple. Annabeth was going to allow Reyna to walk down her destructive path. At the moment, her biggest concern was that Sula could be her aunt. Had Reyna been telling the truth?

"Find your campers first," Annabeth whispered to herself. "Then, you can focus on all this other crap."


	16. Pride Precedes a Fall

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* * *

Clarisse was not in a good mood. She had finally managed to make it to Gettysburg. Ulysses almost passed out as soon as his feet touched the ground. Apparently, he could feel the feedback from a battle, and Gettysburg had a lot of deaths during its battle.

Ulysses was now sitting on his horse. It wasn't like they were trying to be inconspicuous or anything. Clarisse shook her head and looked at the Civil War reenactment group. Nerds.

"Where is the piece of my sword at?" Clarisse demanded. She was looking around at everyone. There was a hundred nerds on each side. Each held a gun with a bayonet fixed to it. Some had swords, but no one had a sword piece.

Clarisse looked around. She frowned as she saw a hill. Her history was rusty, but she knew a lot about battles. The hill was Little Roundtop. Chamberlain had ordered a desperate, bayonet fueled charge down the hill.

Two figures stood on the hill. One almost seemed like a ghost. That had to be Chamberlain. The other was a man that was watching the men as they rushed around to start the battle.

"I don't know how these reenactments work, but I don't want to be caught in the middle of it," Clarisse said. She crossed her arms and walked towards the hill. Ulysses followed her on his horse.

"Sister," the man greeted. Clarisse uncrossed her arms. The dude in front of her was a god. He was not someone she could recall. The man smiled. "Don't remember me?"

"Am I suppose to?" Clarisse questioned. She decided to cross her arms again. "I just want to find my sword."

"You won't find the pieces where they are suppose to be," the god answered. He had black hair. One eye was red. The other was black. "They were all taken by my mother."

"Who?" Clarisse demanded. The god smirked. Clarisse knocked his legs out from under him and pinned him. "Who did it?"

"My mother," the god answered. Clarisse glared at the sky. It would be really helpful if she knew the name. The god smirked. "Enyo."

"Enyalius," Ulysses said. Who in Tartarus was that? Clarisse looked up at the demititan. He just stared ahead.

"Who is that?" Clarisse demanded.

"Me," the man answered. Clarisse resisted the urge to strangle him. These two were completely useless.

"Where is the stupid piece of my sword at?" Clarisse asked through gritted teeth. Enyalius seemed to consider the question. He looked ready to make a sarcastic comment. Clarisse glared angrily.

"Enyo has them," Enyalius answered. "I don't know where she is though. I think she left you a note, but it has a lot of naughty words on it. The note was probably left for that daughter of Bellona."

Clarisse took a deep breath. She had a lot of problems, and they were all tracing back to Reyna. How was Clarisse suppose to find pieces to a sword if the pieces weren't there because a goddess had stolen them out of anger at Reyna? Life sucked.

"It could always be worse," a woman commented. Clarisse turned to look at Lachesis. The Fate looked at her calmly. "You're needed for a meeting."

"What would that meeting be?" Clarisse demanded. Lachesis looked at Enyalius. She smiled coldly.

"Take the demititan back to his base," Lachesis answered. Enyalius just nodded. He was staring at them, and he looked ready to wet his pants.

Lachesis grabbed Clarisse's arm. Clarisse felt like she was spinning, and she suddenly found herself in a throne room. A quick glance around showed her father, Athena, and two more women.

Clarisse easily identified Atropos. The Fate was sitting in a seat and cutting string. She seemed content. Another woman stood in a corner. From the scowl and black eyes, Clarisse knew that it was Bellona.

Ares looked at her, and he smiled. It was how a shark looked at prey. Clarisse did her best not to gulp. Her father had always scared her. Athena turned to look at her.

"Go on," Lachesis said. She took her place by Atropos. The two Fates stood and watched the Olympians. Clarisse took a deep breath and walked into the middle of the room.

"Why am I here?" Clarisse asked. Bellona looked at her and studied her. It was hard to read her expression.

"We are discussing my daughter," Bellona answered. "Your father believes she should be punished for working with Kronos."

"When did she work with Kronos?" Clarisse questioned. Was that how Reyna had defeated Ouranos? It made sense.

"She worked with him to destroy Ouranos," Athena confirmed. "It was my mother's plan. We did not realize that Kronos was not purged from her body. Hylla stabbed Reyna in the chest with Atropos' blade. It tore Reyna and Kronos' soul in half."

"So, they both have half of their soul in the Underworld?" Clarisse questioned. That had to suck. She knew that Reyna's sword could send people to the Underworld. That made her wonder what cool thing her sword could do.

"In Tartarus," Hades answered. He walked past her and sat on his throne. "Your friend is a crazed dog that is not on a leash. That must be fixed."

"You only say that because she must kill your daughter," Bellona said. Hades glared at her. Bellona raised her chin slightly. Clarisse had seen Reyna do that a few times. It seemed to be their way of challenging someone.

"You can't condone the actions of your champion," Hades said. He turned towards Atropos. The Fate seemed more interested in a piece of string than the others.

"I condone the things I tell her to do," Atropos replied. "Your daughter escaped death; therefore, she must die."

"That's not fair," Hades snapped.

"You're right," Atropos confirmed. "If it was fair, I would also have your son killed for retrieving her. Be grateful for my mercy."

Hades glared angrily. He did not looked grateful at all. The god of death glanced at Ares before looking at Clarisse. He spoke, "Do you condone your friend's actions?"

"We're not friends," Clarisse answered. She would say they were acquaintances. "And, you have to do what is necessary to win a war."

"Even working with the enemy?" Ares demanded. Clarisse wanted to reply. She found that her voice wouldn't work anymore. Clarisse hide her face.

"Reyna is my champion, but she is also a mortal. I cannot control the things that she does. The only thing I can do is give her my support," Atropos interrupted. Her voice took all of Ares' attention off of Clarisse.

"She shouldn't even get that," Lachesis muttered. Atropos glanced at her sister. Clarisse could have sworn that Atropos rolled her eyes. She had to be seeing things though.

"Clarisse, you obviously see things my way," Ares began. Clarisse looked up at her father. How could she agree with an opinion she didn't even know? "The daughter of Bellona is a loose cannon. She should be punished. Harshly."

"You already had Hephaestus take away her dogs. Her home and rank was stolen from her," Athena said. The goddess kept her voice even. Clarisse found the the word stolen pretty interesting considering that Annabeth had performed the deed.

"Artemis has already promised to cripple her knees and torture her to a slow, painful demise," Athena continued. "What more do you want to do to her? Did I mention that her thoughts aren't even her own?"

"We all know that your excuse is bullshit," Ares snapped. "You can't tell me that all of her anger is actually Kronos'."

"I can, and I did," Athena said through gritted teeth. "There are three parts to the soul. Even you know that. Reyna is missing the most important piece of her soul."

"Which piece would that be?" Clarisse interrupted. She wanted to know how Reyna managed to get into so much trouble. Clarisse needed to take notes, so she could avoid the same fate.

"Half of the soul is made up of the will to fight," Bellona answered. "It controls our anger, courage, sense of honor, and so much more. That piece of Reyna's soul is in Tartarus."

"Reyna feels the anger that Kronos does," Ares muttered. "His will to fight is what she feels. It is a cancer that must be removed."

"After she deals with my son," Athena said coldly. "If we remove that piece, she will lose the will to fight."

"We should just send her to Tartarus to find the piece of her soul. It is where she belongs anyway," Hades interrupted. Bellona turned on him angrily. "All sinners belong there. You know that."

Bellona didn't respond. She just glared ahead. Athena sighed annoyed. The goddess of wisdom spoke, "We must focus. Zeus is not here; therefore, he can't decide on a punishment."

"Where is Lord Zeus?" Clarisse questioned. She still didn't know why she was there. It bothered her. Was she suppose to document their arguing?

"With some mortal he is courting," Ares answered. "Now, I have already decided on a punishment. Unfortunately, Hades can't send his Furies after our problem."

"I miss the days when I could just send them after the people who killed their family," Hades commented. He turned towards Bellona. "Oh, wait. I can, but your little daughter is special."

"Enough with comments about my daughter," Bellona growled. Ares laughed.

"You don't even care about her," Ares said. "She flinches every time you touch her."

"Your daughter flinches anytime you look at her," Bellona countered. Clarisse stared at them. Why was she getting dragged into this? She had not done anything.

"We are wasting my champion's time," Lachesis interrupted. Ares nodded. He turned towards a dark corner of the throne room. Clarisse turned and watched Enyo walk out of the shadows.

Enyo walked towards them. She tossed a bag towards Clarisse. Bellona glared angrily at Enyo. Clarisse just stared confused. She looked inside the bag and saw the pieces of her sword.

"Enyo is going to hunt down the reaper. Then, she will bring her here in chains," Ares explained.

"If you lay a finger on my daughter, you will regret it," Bellona warned. Enyo paid no attention to her. She just stared ahead. Enyo looked at Ares and nodded slightly.

"What about me?" Clarisse questioned. Athena turned towards her.

"You needed your sword, and you now have it. You are to return to the demititan's camp and work with Hylla. Understood?" Athena wondered. She stared at Clarisse intently. "There is one more thing you must understand: pride precedes a fall."

Clarisse nodded. She felt Lachesis grabbed her shoulder. Before everything started spinning, Clarisse saw her father watching her intently. It felt like a dagger was being stabbed into her heart as he looked disappointed.


	17. Contra Mundum

Reyna sighed deeply and watched her breath turn to mist. It was freezing outside, and snow was blanketing the ground. Reyna guessed there was almost a foot of snow, and it was falling quickly.

Even though she wore a long sleeve shirt under her armor, she could still feel the freezing metal. A jacket was covering her armor. The jacket was light, so it wouldn't restrict her movement. It also did nothing to protect her from the freezing elements.

It was way too cold for Scipio to fly. That had forced her to walk to her destination. Reyna winced as she felt pain spike in her head. She grabbed the scarf around her neck and moved it to cover her mouth.

"Why the hotel first?" Reyna questioned. Kronos seemed to hum a Christmas tale. The only problem was that it sounded like Santa was blowing up a town instead of coming to it. Reyna really didn't have time to properly make out the words.

"Zeus has gone to his date," Kronos replied. "Since he can never control himself, he will bed his date. We have to stop that."

Reyna didn't want to know why. Instead, she fixed the hat on her head. She was absolutely freezing. It was something she would have to ignore.

"After this, we must get your leg fixed," Kronos said. "I know where we can go for that. Then, we find our allies."

Reyna sighed tiredly. There was a dull ache of pain from her knee. It could barely hold her weight. If she forced herself to forget about it, the pain wasn't so bad. Reyna spoke, "What room are we going to?"

"Don't know," Kronos replied. Reyna groaned and stepped into the lobby. She pulled the scarf down, and her nose was assaulted from the smell of cigarettes and alcohol.

A bored looking man sat at the counter. He was smoking a cigar and looking at a Playboy magazine. Reyna did her best not to turn away and walk out the door. She braced herself and looked around for the rooms. Her gaze focused on a sign.

"What do you want?" the man demanded. He lowered his magazine and examined Reyna. A smile came to his face, and he looked like he was lost in thought. Reyna unsheathed her dagger and threw it into his heart. She watched the man's eyes widen, and the life slowly left his eyes.

Reyna walked towards him. She pulled out the steel dagger and studied it silently. Reyna wiped the blood and shoved the man off of his chair. The daughter of Bellona sat in the chair and typed into the computer for rooms that were taken.

"What room would he be in?" Reyna questioned.

"Zeus is a horny Olympian," Kronos answered. "What do you think he would do?"

"Find the first available room," Reyna said. She examined the check ins for the latest entry. "Room M."

Reyna stood and grabbed the keys from the man's body. She walked towards the room and went to put the key into the knob. Kronos spoke, "We should test your knee."

Reyna nodded slightly. She backed up and kicked the door open. It didn't hurt which was good. Reyna walked into the room and stared

Zeus was laying on a bed. He was completely naked, and he had roses covering his groin. Zeus looked more shocked than Reyna. His eyes moved to her.

"Don't move," Reyna ordered. She unsheathed her sword and heard the bathroom door open. A woman stepped out wearing a towel. She had blonde hair and green eyes, but that was just a disguise. The woman looked at Reyna and glared.

"Metis," Reyna said. Zeus turned to look at her, but he didn't look surprised. He stood from the bed, realized he wasn't wearing anything, and quickly grabbed a pillow to cover himself.

Metis sighed. She snapped her fingers. In a second, she was back to her normal self and fully armored. Metis unsheathed a sword and spoke, "I thought I destroyed your leg."

"Kronos is good at blocking out the pain," Reyna answered. She looked at Zeus. "I thought you would remember the prophecy that said she would have a son that would overthrow you. You really need to keep it in your pants. Get out of here."

"You have gall," Metis commented. She looked at Zeus. "I wonder how you will deal with the girl who has Kronos inside of her. Let me know how it goes."

Reyna instinctively looked away as a bright light came from Metis. She looked back at Zeus as Metis disappeared. Zeus stared at her and spoke, "How did you know that was Metis?"

"Your son and daughter were allowed to escape from their respective ambushes. This kept your mind unclouded by grief," Reyna answered. "Metis knew she could capitalize on it."

"I was talking to Kronos," Zeus said in a cold voice. His thunderbolt appeared in his hands. Reyna watched him calmly.

"Kronos and I are one," Reyna explained. "We are going to win this war together."

"If you work with Kronos, you will become an enemy of Olympus," Zeus warned. Reyna smirked. She wasn't surprised. The Olympians were never grateful.

"I saved your life from Ouranos," Reyna said in an even voice. "I am doing everything in my power to win this war just like I have been doing. I don't give a damn if I am an enemy of Olympus. All of the Olympians can go fuck themselves."

Zeus studied her. He nodded slightly. His eyes moved past her as he nodded. Reyna turned and was punched hard in the face. A boot slammed into her stomach. The force knocked her off of her feet, and she slid a few feet when she hit the floor.

Artemis walked towards her. Reyna struggled to get to her feet. She wheezed in pain. Artemis grabbed Reyna and shoved her into a wall.

Reyna gasped as Artemis slammed a bow into her throat and started to choke her. Artemis spoke, "We did have this trap for Metis, but I think this is a better alternative."

"Trap?" Reyna wheezed. She gasped for breath and scratched at Artemis' hands. In response, the bow was pressed into her throat even more. Reyna was struggling to breath.

"We wanted to lure Metis here and take her out," Artemis answered. "This is a wonderful bonus even if Metis did get away."

"You could have ended this war if you stopped her," Reyna wheezed. She tried to talk again, but she couldn't. Artemis glanced at Zeus. He nodded to her.

"Do what you must to remove Kronos," Zeus ordered. Reyna looked away as Zeus disappeared in a bright light. The bow was removed from her throat.

Reyna collapsed to her hands and knees. She struggled to breath. Artemis grabbed her face and forced her to look up. The goddess spoke, "Do you know how long I have been waiting for this?"

Reyna didn't answer as she tried to think. Kronos had told her to go to the motel first thing. How did he know Zeus was there? Did he know Artemis would be lying in wait?

The only answer she received was a kick in the face. Reyna was really tired of having her nose broken. She was done being kicked around and being a punching bag for everyone. Reyna closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

When her eyes opened, everything moved in slow motion. Reyna caught Artemis' foot and knocked the goddess off of her feet. She pinned her and spoke, "If you punch me again, I will send you straight to Tartarus where you can rot with the little lieutenant that you loved so much."

"She is in Elysium," Artemis hissed. Reyna sneered and unsheathed Kronos' blade. She forced it to Artemis' neck. "Put the blade down reaper."

"I don't get it," Reyna muttered. "The Olympians can do whatever they want, and there are no consequences. The children suffer for the sins of their parents. Your Hunters have been punished for yours."

"Does being immortal just allow you to avoid all consequences?" Reyna hissed. "The big three swore on the River Styx to not have any children. Two of them broke it, and they were not punished. What happened to the year of a coma and nine years of exile?"

"We have move passed that," Artemis answered through gritted teeth. She seemed extremely wary of the blade. Reyna smirked.

"So, you admit that you are above consequences?" Reyna questioned. She felt someone grab her shoulder, and she was pulled to her feet. Reyna was turned around, and she met Enyo's eyes.

"Artemis, leave us," Enyo ordered. Reyna felt the anger in her chest boil over. She threw a punch at Enyo who grabbed her arm and snapped it like a twig.

Reyna felt completely sick. She collapsed to her knees and gripped her arm. The armor was not broken which only made Reyna feel sicker. Breathing became ten times harder.

"Calm," Kronos ordered. The pain in Reyna's arm was numbed. She took a pained breath and slowly looked up at Enyo. Cold, hateful eyes met hers.

A kick to her side snapped her ribs. Reyna collapsed on her side and spat blood out. Another kick to the stomach caused her to see stars. Artemis knelt by her and grabbed her face.

"What do you think your punishment is going to be?" Artemis sneered. Reyna spat blood in her face. She would be defiant to the end, and no one was going to stop her from doing that.

"Do you think you'll be sent to Tartarus? Maybe, we'll just rip the two souls from your body, so you will be an empty shell, "Artemis said. Her eyes held an ungodly amount of hatred. "You will pay for killing my Hunters."

Artemis released the grip on her face. Reyna laid her head back and stared at the ceiling. All of the pain had come back completely. That meant Kronos had retreated further into her mind and would be helping anymore. It made Reyna even more sick.

"Bellona will be outraged if she learns that you did this to her daughter," Enyo began. "You should leave, and I will take her to Mount Olympus."

"I don't care what Bellona thinks," Artemis sneered. "Her daughter needs to suffer."

"It will save a fight," Enyo said. Artemis glared at Reyna, but she nodded. Artemis kicked Reyna in the ribs again for good measure. Reyna wheezed for breath.

Artemis stormed out. Enyo watched her go. She looked back down at Reyna and pulled her up. Enyo spoke, "You're lucky I arrived in time. Let's go."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Reyna wheezed. Enyo looked at her. She started to raise her fist, but she then lowered it. Reyna studied her.

"I am here to help you," Enyo began. Reyna laughed and dropped to her knees from pain. She grabbed her sword. Enyo pinned Reyna's hand with her foot, but she didn't try to crush it. That was a big surprise.

"Ares wants me to redeem myself by bringing you back to Olympus. I know how I am going to redeem myself," Enyo said. She pulled Reyna up and grabbed her weapons. Enyo held them out.

"You broke my arm," Reyna wheezed. She spat more blood out.

"And, Artemis trusts me because of it," Enyo explained. As much as Reyna hated the goddess, she couldn't argue with the logic. Reyna sighed painfully and tried to not breath through her nose. Her attention turned back towards Enyo.

Reyna slowly took her weapons. She sheathed the two swords and tried to ignore the agonizing pain. There was no way that she could walk. Reyna spoke, "How are you going for redemption?"

"The best way I can," Enyo responded. She started to walk away "I'm going to help you win this war. Where are we going first?"

"What?" Reyna asked. She gripped her arm and gently cradled it. Reyna shifted to take the pressure off of her injured leg. She didn't even want to think about her other injuries.

"Are we taking you to Asclepius first?" Enyo questioned. "I assume that is how you will deal with your injuries. Or, are we going to your favorite person?"

"Who is my favorite person?" Reyna muttered. The world was starting to fade away. Enyo turned back towards her and studied her.

"We are going to Asclepius," Kronos answered. "Then, I have an idea for a new ally."

"How am I going to trust this ally if I don't know who it is?" Reyna growled. She cried out as her mind was assaulted by thoughts. Reyna dropped to her knees as a plan flew through her head. Enyo calmly knelt by her and waited.

"Well?" Kronos questioned after a few moments. Reyna didn't answer until she slowly reviewed the plan. It felt like it had been burned into her memory.

"We go to Asclepius first," Reyna said as she looked up at Enyo. The goddess nodded and helped her stand. "Then, we go to Circe."


	18. Strange Bedfellows

Reyna glanced up at the man in front of her. She winced as he grabbed her arm to examine it. Asclepius remained silent, but he was trying to be as gentle as possible. It made Reyna suspicious.

Enyo looked completely impatient. She was pacing back and forth. Her right hand was gripping her sword. She looked at Reyna, glared, and looked away.

"Can you hurry up?" Enyo demanded. Asclepius ignored her. He gently set Reyna's arm. The daughter of Bellona hissed in pain and took deep breaths. After a few moments, the pain slowly melded away.

Asclepius' lips were moving silently. Reyna could feel the bones in her arm mending. She breathed a sigh of relief against her will as the rest of the pain in her body went away.

It wasn't hard to get Asclepius to go along with healing her. In fact, he almost seemed happy too. There was a chance he also wanted to give Zeus a gigantic middle finger.

Reyna laid her head back as breathing became easier. The pain in her leg disappeared as well. Asclepius pulled away and studied her. He spoke, "How do you feel?"

"Great," Reyna answered. It wasn't a lie. She stood and stretched out her arm. Reyna took a deep breath and didn't feel any pain. She started to pace back and forth to test her knee.

"Your hand was the only thing I couldn't heal," Asclepius began. He was studying her intently. When they had first met, he commented on her long list of injuries.

"I know," Reyna said. A smile came to her face. For the first time in a long time, she felt amazing. Reyna did not have any injuries to slow her down.

Asclepius watched her. He finally stood and spoke, "I have patients I must attend to."

"Like who?" Reyna questioned as she stared a wall. She turned back towards Asclepius. "You're in an unhidden place. It's like you want to be found."

Enyo raised an eyebrow. She looked slightly impressed. Reyna just ignored her look and waited for Asclepius to respond.

"I am working for the barbarians," Asclepius began. He winced as Enyo took a step towards him. Reyna watched him intently.

"Why?" Reyna questioned. "Were your daughters threatened? Did Metis promise to protect you from Zeus' anger? What forced you to make such an idiotic decision, and you should give me one good reason to not send you to Tartarus."

"Metis took my daughters. I can't allow for them to be hurt," Asclepius explained. He looked at Reyna. "In exchange for helping you, you have to find them."

"I don't have to do anything. You're lucky that I am merciful enough to spare you," Reyna said. She glanced at Enyo. "Let's go."

"Wait," Asclepius said. Reyna unsheathed Kronos' blade and stabbed Asclepius in the stomach. All it would do was cause him horrible pain. Lucky for him.

"Don't tell me what to do," Reyna said. "I thank you for the healing, but you shouldn't think for one second that I owe you anything. Understood?"

Asclepius nodded. He winced as Reyna tore the sword out of his stomach. She cleaned the ichor off of the sword and sheathed it. Reyna walked towards Enyo.

"Are we going to Circe?" Enyo questioned. Reyna nodded once and closed her eyes. She felt Enyo grab her arm. The world spun for a moment. When Reyna opened her eyes, she was standing outside a spa.

Reyna felt panic in her chest. She tried to ignore it, but it wouldn't work. Even though she wasn't at the original spa, all the memories came rushing back. Enyo pushed past her and walked into the spa.

"The best way to deal with a fear is to confront is directly," Kronos said. Reyna closed her eyes and took deep breaths. She opened her eyes and stepped into the spa.

The scene in front of her was quite interesting. Enyo was standing at a counter, but she was being forced to wait because an attendant was talking on her phone. Reyna walked towards them.

"I need to talk to Circe," Enyo growled. She slammed a hand into the counter and left cracks. The attendant looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"I don't really care. Circe makes her own appointments," the attendant said. Reyna pushed past Enyo and leaned on the counter.

"We really need to talk to Circe," Reyna began. The attendant looked at her unimpressed. Reyna spoke a work of Greek, and fire appeared in her hand. "Or, I can burn this spa down."

"That's not necessary," Circe said as she walked into the room. Reyna turned around and allowed the fire to extinguish.. Emotions flooded through her, and none of them were good, but the weirdest part was that she felt no anger. After a few moments, the emotions were gone.

Reyna knew that Kronos was suppressing the memories. She was grateful for it. Circe looked at her and studied her intently. She smiled and motioned for Reyna to follow.

Reyna silently followed the witch. They walked down a long hallway and into a conference room. Enyo followed behind. A man that was sitting at a table looked up at them.

"What is a Roman doing here?" the man demanded as he stood. He unsheathed his axe and took a step forward. Circe stepped in front of them.

"What is a barbarian doing here?" Reyna countered. The man wore armor that identified him as a Hun. She knew that Huns were the worst. They had to die.

"You want allies," Circe said to Reyna. She turned towards the barbarian. "And, you wanted the person who killed Attila."

"There is no way a little girl killed Attila," the barbarian growled. He raised his axe. Reyna was more than excited to absolutely destroy this barbarian. She wanted to test her limits now that there was no more nagging injuries.

"Wynris, you must calm down," Circe began. "Your goals can only be achieved by working together. I was there when Reyna killed Attila. I swear it on the River Styx."

"What goal do you have?" Reyna questioned as she looked at Wynris. The barbarian studied her. He took off his helmet .Wynris had long hair that went well past his shoulders. His eyes were brown.

"Huns never served a master. Metis wants us to help her, and I know that she will just throw us aside when we're done. We just want the ability to do whatever we please. If we get to kill people along the way, all the better," Wynris answered.

Reyna thought about it. She glanced at Circe who studied her silently. Reyna looked back at Wynris and spoke, "What's so important about me killing Attila?"

"Leadership passes to you," Wynris said. Reyna stared at him. Wynris crossed his arms. "When we all came back, Attila established a line of succession. It would be his second in command, or it would be the person who killed him in a duel."

"He expected to be challenged to a duel by one of his owns Huns," Circe added. Reyna crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"If you want, you get an army," Wynris said. "Every Hun will fight to the death for you, even if you are a Roman."

"An exiled one," Circe added. Reyna glared at her angrily. She opened her mouth, but Wynris laughed.

"A Roman is always a Roman," Wynris said. "Now, we only have fifty of us, but we are the best of the barbarians. We're better than any Roman you can find."

"How fast can you get together?" Reyna asked as she leaned on the table. Her attention wasn't focused on the insult. She was aware that Enyo was standing right by her. Reyna looked up at Wynris.

"My barbarians are waiting at the prison camp," Wynris answered. Reyna's eyes widened. Her mind raced at a million miles per hour.

"You know the location," Reyna began. "The layout, the number of guards and prisoners, the weaknesses. You know everything about it."

"And, there is an army waiting inside," Circe said. She sat down. "Reyna, all you have to do is work with me, and all of the prisoners will be safe. You must follow my plan if you want this to work."

"You wanted Hylla to kill herself," Reyna snapped. She tried to sound angry, but the feeling wasn't there. "You made my life a living hell. Why should I work with you?"

"I treated you horribly because I hate you. As for Hylla, it was a calculated risk. I needed to test out how strong Piper's charmspeak was. No real harm would have come to Hylla. I probably would have allowed the daughter of Zeus to continue on with her actions, and would you have blamed me?" Circe wondered.

Reyna studied her intently. She hated Circe with all of her heart. Oddly, she didn't feel much of that hate at the moment. The daughter of Bellona rubbed her face. She nodded slightly.

"What is your plan?" Reyna muttered. Circe silently pulled out a large map. She sat it on the table. Reyna took the time to memorize it before looking up.

"Have you heard of the Trojan horse?" Circe questioned. She looked up at Wynris. The barbarian shook his head.

"The Greeks made a giant horse and gave it as a gift to Troy. They hid inside it. In the middle of the night, they jumped out and attacked," Reyna explained.

"Reyna, you will be our horse," Circe said. She stood up. "Enyo, we'll need your help for this."

"Metis knows I'm against her," Enyo began. "She won't allow me anywhere near the camp. I can't help Reyna sneak in."

"Sneaking in was the last thing on my mind," Circe said. She turned towards Reyna. "The plan is quite simple. Wynris will take you in as a prisoner to the camp. When you are inside and ready, Wynris will tell the Huns to attack. The prisoners must be ready to fight."

"Your plan hinges on a lot of faith," Reyna commented. Circe nodded her agreement. "I'm in."

"Good," Circe said. "You will have to leave Kronos' blade here. If Akil gets his hands on it, he will use it to remove Kronos and torture you."

"He'll torture you either way," Wynris commented. He was sharpening his weapon. Reyna silently waited for Kronos' comment.

"Do it," Kronos said. "If they stab us in the back, they will regret it."

Reyna unsheathed Kronos' blade and dropped it on the table. Enyo eyed the sword warily. Reyna glanced at her and placed a hand to her own sword.

"What is my part in this?" Enyo questioned.

"You get to do your favorite thing in the world," Circe answered. She motioned to Reyna. "Punch her in the face."

Reyna wanted to move, but something kept her from moving. Enyo punched Reyna hard in the face and shattered her nose. The daughter of Bellona fell back and placed both hands to her face. Her life sucked.

"Sorry," Enyo said. She didn't sound sorry. Reyna tried to get up, and Enyo kicked her in the face. Reyna fell back to the ground. "Whoops. My foot slipped."

"That should be good enough," Circe said. She helped Reyna stand and examined her face. "Good. They still think you are horribly injured, and you cannot let them know different."

Reyna pulled away and slowly dropped all of her stuff besides her weapons. She spoke, "What now?"

Circe smiled and grabbed chains. Reyna took a deep breath and held her arms out. Circe chained Reyna's arms and legs.

"If you betray me," Reyna warned. Circe crossed her arms.

"I told you," Circe said. She grabbed Reyna's face. "I am working to help you, but you are ungrateful as always."

Before Reyna could respond, she was slapped hard by Circe. It took all of her willpower to keep from strangling Circe with the chains. Reyna looked at the ground and took deep breaths.

"We need to get moving quickly. Akil is the only one at the prison for the moment," Circe said. She looked at Enyo. "You can stay here."

"Get better attendants," Enyo muttered. She sat down angrily. Wynris stood and grabbed Reyna's chains. He looked at her and nodded slightly.

"I will spread the word that you are our new leader," Wynris said. "You will have twenty four hours to rally everyone. We are working on a tight schedule."

"Why?" Reyna questioned.

"They will start to kill the Greeks to draw out the daughter of Athena and son of Poseidon," Wynris nodded. Reyna looked down and nodded. She should allow the Greeks to die, but they needed the army.

"You should also call Hylla first and tell her where you are going," Circe said. "Tell her I want a meeting."

Enyo watched them. She sighed tiredly and spoke, "I guess it's true when they say war makes strange bedfellows."

Reyna nodded her agreement. She grabbed her phone, typed in her sister's number, and managed to bring it to her ear. It was hard with the chains. Circe seemed to be enjoying it. Reyna heard Hylla answer the phone. She spoke, "Hylla, we need to talk."


	19. First Strike

**Shadowhunter3803: I've heard of Trials of Apollo, and I'm pretty excited for it.**

 **Thanks you everyone for the follows, favorites, and reviews.**

 **Do you know those chapters that hurt to write but are necessary? This is one of them.**

* * *

Hylla stared at the ceiling and tried to not grind her teeth to dust. She had her phone placed to her ear, and she was only one second away from crushing it. Hylla spoke in a quiet voice, "What do you want?"

"You have to understand," Reyna began. Hylla growled in anger and cursed in Spanish. She didn't remember the last time she had been this angry, but she was trying to keep quiet. Kinzie was right next to her and was in a peaceful sleep.

"You are working with Kronos!" Hylla hissed. "Clarisse and Annabeth told me everything. Half of your damn soul is in Tartarus, and you weren't going to tell me that. I am your sister!"

"Don't berate me," Reyna growled. "I have a plan, and you are going to listen."

"Can I trust you?" Hylla demanded. She didn't even regret the words. Reyna didn't answer which only increased Hylla's anger. "Where are you?"

"With Circe," Reyna answered after a moment. The only thing that kept Hylla from yelling was Kinzie shifting. Kinzie's head was right on her chest.

"Why the fuck are you with Circe? We talked about this," Hylla said through gritted teeth. Reyna sighed but didn't answer. "Answer me!"

"I am going to rescue the prisoners," Reyna snapped. "I see you don't give a shit about them. If you did, you would be doing something."

"You're not always right," Hylla snapped back. She didn't try to keep her voice down. "I don't know what has happened to you! If I know one thing, it's that you're not my sister."

Hylla didn't mean for the words to come out. They just did. Oddly, she didn't regret them. Reyna didn't respond for a few moments.

"I've done everything," Reyna said in a low voice. "I dealt with your rogue Amazons. I cleaned up your mess when you stole Ares' shield. I stopped the war that you created by distracting everyone from Ouranos rising."

"My life wouldn't be shit if you weren't such a fuck up," Reyna continued. "I killed our father because of you! If you say that I'm not your sister, good. I'm glad that I am not. One more thing: fuck you!"

"Considered yourself disowned. I would change my last name if I could. Have fun without anyone there to clean up your mistakes," Reyna finished. She hung up.

Hylla was shaking from rage. She had never been so angry. Hylla crushed her phone and stood. All of the anger was ready to explode.

"Hylla, what's wrong?" Kinzie asked. Hylla didn't answer. She took deep breaths and raised her fist to punch the wall. Kinzie grabbed her arm. "Stop!"

"Get off me," Hylla snapped. She turned and shoved Kinzie to the ground. Kinzie stared up at her in shock. Hylla took deep breaths and looked away. Tears formed in her eyes.

"What happened?" Kinzie asked as she stood. She gently pulled Hylla into a hug. Hylla buried her face in Kinzie's shoulder and didn't respond. She didn't try to stop herself from crying.

Kinzie rubbed her back gently. She whispered comforting words to her in Spanish. Hylla tried to take control of her emotions, but it wouldn't work. Kinzie spoke, "It's okay. Let it out. Did Reyna do this to you?"

Hylla managed a nod. She allowed herself to cry silently into Kinzie's shoulder. Kinzie just held her and gently spoke to her in Spanish. After a few minutes, Hylla pulled away.

"I guess those years of practicing Spanish pulled off," Kinzie joked. She wiped the last tear from Hylla's eyes. "What happened?"

"Reyna and I got into an argument. She disowned me after telling me how much I screwed up," Hylla answered. She tried to hide how heartbroken she was.

"She'll come around," Kinzie began. Hylla shook her head.

"She won't," Hylla muttered. "Not until we send Kronos back to Tartarus. Then, she'll just be an emotionless shell. My sister isn't there anymore."

"You can't give up on family," Kinzie said. She forced Hylla to look at her. "It doesn't matter what they do or say. We'll get Reyna back. I promise."

Hylla nodded. She hugged Kinzie tightly. Hylla spoke, "Thank you."

"Anytime," Kinzie promised. She kissed Hylla gently. "You should go back to bed."

Hylla nodded slightly, but she heard a knock on the door. It was opened a moment later as Sarah stepped into the room. Hylla turned to look at the demititan.

"We found the Greeks," Sarah reported. "They managed to find their way to a Roman safe house, but it won't be safe for long. I've already organized a team, but Thorn wanted you to come with."

"I'm coming as well," Kinzie said. Hylla turned and went to protest. Kinzie gave her a look.

"We're meeting outside in ten minutes," Sarah said. She closed the door.

"I'm going," Kinzie said. Hylla opened her mouth, but she stopped as Kinzie took off her shirt. It was times like this when Hylla needed more self control.

Kinzie grabbed a clean shirt and put it on. She put on armor. Hylla sighed as all thoughts of arguing were gone, and she put on her own armor. Hylla grabbed her belt and put it on. The two walked out.

It only took a few minutes to get to the entrance of the camp. It was a simple gate that only opened at a demititan's touch. Annabeth was talking to Nico.

"Malcolm is in bad shape, but I think he'll live. Grover found him and took care of him," Nico reported. He was swaying on his feet. "Juniper stayed behind to spy on the Arimaspi."

"Who all made it out?" Hylla questioned as she walked towards them. Nico looked at her. His eyes glanced around presumably for Reyna.

"Jason and the Aphrodite cabin. Hazel was with me," Nico answered. He sounded more exhausted than he looked. "Grove and Malcolm. Oh, Rachel too. She found the camp for us."

"Everyone else was taken captive," Annabeth assumed. Nico nodded and looked down. "Do you have enough strength to take us to them?"

"If Reyna could lend me strength," Nico answered. Hylla glanced at Annabeth.

"Reyna's not here," Hylla answered. "She went off to work with Circe and Kronos."

Nico looked at her in surprise. He looked down soon after. Nico spoke in a quiet voice. "I'll manage if there is a few of you going. Hazel will have to take everyone back."

Annabeth nodded. Sarah walked towards them with four other archers. Annabeth glanced at her and spoke, "Nico isn't strong enough to take everyone. Can you use air travel?"

"Air travel?" Kinzie questioned.

"I can travel through air. Not into the building or out of them though. Other than a few exceptions," Sarah explained. "But, yeah. I'll bring my archers. Where is the location?"

"I want to air travel," Kinzie mumbled. "All I can do is pull a sword out of thin air."

"Which is very sexy," Hylla said without thinking. She winced as everyone glanced at her. Kinzie winked and smirked. Hylla hid her face from view.

Hylla looked up as Annabeth walked back towards them. Nico held a hand out as he shifted into a shadow. Hylla took it and gripped Kinzie's hand. Annabeth grabbed Nico's other hand.

Hylla was not ready for shadow travel. As soon as her feet hit solid ground, she stumbled and almost vomited. Nico collapsed against her, and Hylla barely caught him.

"Annabeth," Piper said. She rushed the daughter of Athena and hugged her tightly. Hylla looked up at the Greeks in front of her. She inwardly groaned as she realized the children of Aphrodite were in front of her. They were not army material.

A Satyr was standing over a pale boy. Annabeth pulled away from Piper and walked towards the Satyr. She spoke, "Grover, how is he?"

"He'll live," Grover answered. Hylla assumed the boy was Malcolm, and he did not look like he would live. "Where is Percy at?"

"On the way to Rome," Annabeth answered. "It's a long story. We should get all of you back first."

"What about Hedge?" a girl asked. From her red hair, Hylla knew it was Rachel Dare. "He took them on, so I could get away."

"We'll find him," Annabeth promised. She looked up as the door opened. Thorn walked into the room. He looked at them.

"It's clear," Thorn said. He was wearing his armor and looked ready for a long march. Hylla frowned as she saw some blood on his armor. It wasn't good that barbarians had closed in that quickly.

"When did you get here?" Annabeth questioned. Thorn sighed tiredly. He looked distracted.

"Earlier," Thorn replied. He leaned on the wall. Annabeth looked around and looked at Hazel who was sitting in a corner.

"Can you take us all?" Annabeth questioned. Hazel shook her head.

"Can you take the Greeks and Nico?" Hylla questioned. "Kinzie and I will head back with the demititans."

Hazel looked around and nodded slightly. Kinzie offered a canteen of nectar which Hazel took gratefully.

Hylla leaned on the wall and watched the Greeks gather around Hazel. Annabeth looked at them and nodded. Hylla turned off the lights. After a few moments, she turned them back. She was left alone with Kinzie and Thorn.

"There should be supplies here that we can take back," Thorn said. Hylla nodded her agreement. "Split up?"

"Yeah," Hylla answered. She kissed Kinzie's cheek and walked out of the room. She needed alone time. The fight with Reyna had to be examined.

They had their yelling matches before. Granted, this wasn't a yelling match, but it had the same impact. Hylla couldn't get over her sister disowning her. She had stood by Reyna during everything.

It also pissed Hylla off because Reyna was right. Hylla had completely screwed up her sister's life. If she had taken them away from their father earlier, Reyna would not have committed patricide. If she had dealt with the traitorous Amazons earlier, there would have been no war with Ouranos.

Hylla walked into a room and leaned on a table. She was going to be sick. Even though she wanted to focus on her argument, a nagging thought came to her mind. Where was Sarah and the other archers?

Hylla looked up and sighed. Pain suddenly exploded in her back. Hylla gasped as she felt someone twist a dagger that was buried in her kidney.

"I told you to watch your back Amazon," Sula sneered. She tore the dagger out of Hylla's back and stabbed her again. Hylla cried out in pain and couldn't find the strength to fight as the dagger was torn out of her back. Sula brought the dagger to Hylla's neck.

Hylla tried to gasp as the dagger cut into her neck and was dragged across her throat. Blood splattered on the table in front of her. She put both hands to her neck to try and stop the bleeding. Sula shoved her to the ground.

Hylla didn't know how deep the cut was. All she knew was that it went almost the entire way across her throat. She also knew that she was going to die. Hylla stared at the ceiling and tried to not focus on Sula's face. If she was going to die, she wanted to take Sula with her.

Sula sat on her chest and smirked. She ran the knife over Hylla's face and stabbed her in the chest. Sula laughed and grabbed Hylla's face. She spoke, "You never know what can happen in this war."

Sula stood and examined Hylla for a few moments. She nodded as if satisfied with her work. Hylla grabbed the knife in her chest and tried to pull it out. She had to kill Sula before she faded away.

The adrenaline did nothing to stop the pain. Strength quickly left Hylla's hands, and her arms fell to the side. Hylla watched Sula leave the room. She stared for a few moments, and the last thing she saw before everything faded was Kinzie enter the room with a horrified look.


	20. Operation Arc

Kinzie had a list of things she never wanted to happen. The top of the list had to be her girlfriend dying in her arms. There was nothing Kinzie could do though. She had given her canteen of nectar to Hazel, and Hylla didn't have any kind of medicine on her.

Kinzie placed both hands to Hylla's neck and tried to stop the bleeding. She couldn't even look at the wound without feeling sick. Hylla's face was pale, and she was barely breathing.

"Hold on Hylla. Please," Kinzie begged. She took her shirt off and quickly tore it apart. Kinzie placed a strip of her shirt to Hylla's neck and closed her eyes tightly. She sent a prayer to every deity she could think of.

After a moment, someone pulled her up. Kinzie's eyes snapped open. She turned and stared at Reyna. A woman entered the room and walked towards Hylla's side.

"Take her out of here," the woman ordered. Kinzie studied the woman and refused to move. Her eyes met green ones. From the long, dark hair, Kinzie knew it was Circe.

"I'm not going anywhere," Kinzie snapped. She struggled with Reyna as two more girl walked into the room. They hurried to Hylla's side. Reyna dragged Kinzie out of the room and closed the door.

"Calm down," Reyna ordered. Her eyes darted around. "Where is Sula?"

"I need to help," Kinzie protested. Reyna glared at her. There was an emptiness to Reyna's eyes that sent shivers down Kinzie's spine.

"Where the fuck is Sula?" Reyna asked in a quiet voice. Kinzie knew enough about Hylla to know how alike she was to her sister. Reyna was ready to kill someone. It would be Kinzie if she didn't say where Sula was.

"I saw her in this hallway, but I didn't go after her," Kinzie answered. She motioned to where Sula had went. Reyna took off, and Kinzie followed after her. "I have questions."

"I don't care," Reyna muttered. Kinzie grabbed her and slammed her into a wall. There was no patience left.

"You caused Hylla to break down crying," Kinzie hissed. "I want to punch your face in. Instead, you can tell me what Circe is doing here."

"Saving Hylla," Reyna answered through gritted teeth. "Let. Go. Of. Me."

Kinzie finally did. Reyna shoved past her and hurried away. Kinzie followed. When they got outside, all they saw was Sarah with her hand pressed to her bloody shoulder. It looked like her leg had been broken as well.

"What happened?" Kinzie questioned. Sarah slowly looked at them. She laid her head back against a tree.

"Thorn. The damn bastard," Sarah hissed. She closed her eyes painfully. "He thought he could spare us by working out a deal with Sula. He sold us out, and they know how to get into the camp."

Reyna walked towards Sarah and knelt by her. She poured some kind of powder on her shoulder. Sarah groaned and tried to sit up. Reyna helped her.

"Sula dies today," Reyna swore. She looked at Kinzie who was just staring. "We have to go."

"I'm not leaving Hylla. No way," Kinzie said.

"Everyone will die if we don't warn them," Reyna snapped. "Do you want that on your head? Hylla will be fine."

"I'm sure she'll be fine with Circe because Circe was so great to you," Kinzie snapped. Reyna glared at her and started to shake from anger.

"Circe loves Hylla like a daughter. She raised her. Those two girls were attendants, and one was a child of Apollo. Now, we have to go," Reyna hissed.

Kinzie wanted to argue, but she knew Hylla would kill her for not stopping the attack. The Amazons would need someone to rally them, and there was no way Adonia could do that.

"How are we going to get there?" Kinzie questioned after a moment.

"I have a horse," Sarah muttered. She snapped her fingers, but her eyes slowly started to close.

"Get her back to the camp," Reyna ordered. She looked up as a horse appeared in the clearing. It was a chestnut color and had an orange mane. Reyna picked Sarah up and placed her on the horse.

Kinzie reluctantly pulled herself up on the horse. She steadied Sarah. Kinzie spoke, "To the demititan base, I guess."

The horse didn't go anywhere. In fact, it lowered its head and started to eat some grass. Kinzie frowned and tried to think. Reyna spoke in another language. The horse straightened up and turned.

Before Kinzie could react, the horse picked up speed. Everything blurred by them. Kinzie was going to vomit because of how fast they were going. Despite that, she wanted a horse like this.

Kinzie closed her eyes and tried to not think about Hylla. She was extremely worried, and there was no way that she trusted Circe. The question was if she trusted Reyna, and she did.

Reyna had saved her life. Even if Kronos was in her head, she went to an island in the middle of nowhere and saved Kinzie. That was enough to make Kinzie trust her.

Kinzie spent the next few minutes with her eyes closed. She opened them as she heard voices. The entrance of the demititan base was in front of her. To her right, there was Clarisse and Ulysses.

"She needs help," Kinzie said as she slid off the horse. She gently pulled Sarah off and laid her on the ground. Clarisse knelt by them as did Ulysses.

Ulysses placed a hand to Sarah's stomach and seemed to be searching for the wound. Kinzie guided his hand towards Sarah's wounded shoulder. Ulysses spoke, "Thorn did this?"

"How did you know?" Kinzie questioned. She saw the door to the base open, and a demititan hurried towards them.

"I can sense the weapon used," Ulysses muttered. He nodded to the demititan who gently picked Sarah up. They carried her inside. Clarisse led Ulysses inside, and Kinzie followed.

"What happened?" Annabeth asked as she rushed towards them.

"Thorn made some kind of deal," Kinzie answered. Tears filled her eyes as she thought of Hylla. "He sold this place out, and Sula is coming. That bitch is going to die."

"Where's Hylla?" Annabeth slowly asked. Kinzie looked her in the eyes and tried to speak, but her voice wouldn't work. Annabeth grabbed her arm. "Is she dead?"

"I don't know," Kinzie answered after a moment. She took a deep breath. Tears escaped from her eyes. "Sula slit her throat and stabbed her in the chest. There might have been more damage, but I don't know. Circe pulled me away."

"Circe?" Annabeth questioned. Kinzie nodded. She stared at the ground and forced herself to focus.

"We need to prepare for Sula. If Thorn is working with them, they can get through the front entrance. There's also the tunnel," Kinzie said. Annabeth nodded. Her mind seemed to be racing.

"Guards in the tunnel. Everyone we can on the wall A large group waiting at the door," Annabeth decided.

"Bottleneck," Kinzie muttered. She wiped her eyes and took deep breaths. No weakness could be shown. "I need to rally the Amazons. How are the Greeks?"

"Nico and Hazel are resting," Annabeth answered. She turned as Clarisse walked towards them. "Did you get your sword?"

"The pieces," Clarisse answered. She looked at Kinzie. "You better be ready for a fight."

"I will be," Kinzie muttered. "How far was the safe house from here?"

"It doesn't matter. They will attack at night," Clarisse said. She crossed her arms. "Minimum visibility. Also, it sucks to fight in snow."

Kinzie nodded her agreement. She looked at the snow which was a foot high. Some of the demititans were throwing snowballs, and some were packing the snowballs with Greek fire. It was kind of a scary sight.

Kinzie looked at the two of them and nodded again. She walked towards where Amazons were gathered. Her gaze turned to the blood that was on her hands. It had been smeared, but the sight of it sent despair tearing through her.

She had no clue what condition Hylla was in. Hylla was probably clinging to life or already dead. Kinzie didn't know if Circe could perform the miracle that would be needed.

"No emotion," Kinzie muttered to herself. She nodded to the senior Amazons and motioned for them to come to her. When they gathered, she took a deep breath.

"Hylla is hurt," Kinzie began. She gritted her teeth for a moment and blinked away tears. "Sula managed a sneak attack, and her army is on the way. We need to prepare."

"How is Queen Hylla?" an Amazon asked. Kinzie turned to look at Vera. She had known Vera ever since she joined the Amazons. That didn't mean she trusted the girl.

First, Vera had supported Otrera. Then, she attacked Reyna. That put Vera on top of the list of people Kinzie wanted to punch in the face.

"She will be fine," Kinzie said coldly. "We will go with the plan Operation Arc. Our only goal is to defend this camp."

"Are we working in conjunction with Adonia's crew?" an Amazon asked. Her name was Helen. She worked the front desk when Kinzie didn't. Kinzie only worked the front desk because Hylla wanted her to stay out of danger.

Kinzie took another deep breath and forced her thoughts on the task at hand. She spoke, "I haven't spoken to Adonia. If a demititan tells you to do something, you are going to do it."

"Understood," Helen said. Other Amazons quickly nodded. They looked ready for battle. Kinzie scanned their faces and looked around.

"Dismissed," Kinzie said. She watched the Amazons walk away. Her mind drifted to what she would do. Operation Arc called for them to defend their current position to their dying breath. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that.

"Hey mom," Kinzie said as she looked at the sky. She swallowed painfully. "I don't ask for much, and I haven't visited in awhile. You gotta help Hylla. Please."

"I can't lose her," Kinzie said. She swallowed painfully. Tears filled her eyes. "Can you put in a good word with whoever. Atropos or Hades or whoever deals with this."

Kinzie ducked around a corner. She sat down and took deep breaths. Kinzie reached into her pocket and pulled out a small box. She opened it and studied the ring. The saleswoman had called it Black Onyx.

All Kinzie knew was that it was some kind of diamond that had cost over a thousand dollars. It was worth it though. All she needed was for Hylla to survive. Kinzie closed her eyes and sent another prayer up to the Olympians.


	21. Scorched Earth

Reyna took deep breaths and looked down at the barbarian. With a quick motion, she slit the barbarian's throat. She looked around and smiled slightly as she saw more barbarians surrounding her. They all looked terrified. Good.

Reyna stood and wiped the blood from her sword, but it didn't do much. She motioned for the nearest barbarian to come towards her. He charged.

Time slowed for Reyna. She ducked under his sword and fell to her knees. Reyna stabbed behind her, let go of her sword, and rolled away from the barbarian. She stood and blocked another sword.

Her javelin appeared in her hands, and she threw it at a barbarian. It hit his throat, and he fell to his knees. Reyna tore the javelin out of his throat and slammed her shield into the face of another.

Reyna threw her javelin at a barbarian that had turned to run away. She slammed her shield into the throat of another and grabbed her sword. Reyna tore it out of the barbarian's back and looked around at those who remained.

"Where. Is. Sula?" Reyna growled. When she didn't receive an answer, she threw her shield into the throat of another barbarian and stabbed one of the fallen ones in the chest. Reyna grabbed an axe from the ground and threw it.

She stepped aside a blow and disarmed the man stupid enough to attack her. Reyna stabbed him in the back, slit the throat of a fallen barbarian, and turned towards the last man. Atticus stared at her.

"Where?" Reyna repeated. She took the time to examine the barbarian camp. There was too many bodies to count, and the grass was soaked from blood.

"You're insane," Atticus said. He tried to scoot away. His left leg had an arrow in it. The right had been skewered by her javelin. Reyna walked towards him and pinned him with her foot.

"Where is Sula? If you don't tell me, I will make you wish that you never lived," Reyna hissed. She started to speak in the language of the Titans. To her surprise, Atticus didn't look like he was in pain.

"I have no soul," Atticus sneered. Reyna punched him in the face. She remembered the image of Hylla laying on the ground and dying. Reyna punched Atticus again.

"Where!" Reyna yelled. When Atticus didn't answer, Reyna snapped. She didn't know how many times she punched Atticus in his face. All she knew was that someone grabbed her after a minute and threw her off.

Reyna tried to stand. Enyo grabbed her and shoved her back. Reyna spoke, "Don't ever touch me again!"

"Calm down," Enyo ordered.

"C...c...calm down? I'm calm enough," Reyna hissed. She stood and punched Enyo in the face. Reyna pinned the goddess and placed her sword to her neck.

"I'm calm," Reyna repeated. She brought a shaking hand to her face. "I'm going to find Sula and kill her."

Enyo didn't answer. She was looking at Reyna. There was something in her eyes. It could have been fear. Reyna smiled and stood.

Reyna looked at Atticus who was still trying to crawl away. She kicked him onto his stomach and stabbed him in the small of his back. Reyna spoke, "We have a lot to talk about. Don't go anywhere."

The daughter of Bellona picked up her fallen helmet. She grabbed it and looked at her hands which were covered in blood. The smile on her face widened slightly. If she had her way, this was only the beginning.

Reyna put on her helmet and walked towards Enyo. The goddess stood and watched her. She spoke, "Circe wanted me to find you."

"You found me," Reyna said. She tried cleaning all of the blood off of her blade, but it was dried onto it. Enyo studied her warily. She turned her head to look at the smoke trail.

"How many camps?" Enyo questioned.

"This is the third," Reyna answered. She smiled again. "The other two really weren't camps though. What does the witch want?"

"Hylla is stabilized," Enyo began. She seemed to gauge Reyna's reaction, but the daughter of Bellona didn't move a muscle. "Her injuries are severe though."

Reyna nodded. She walked towards Atticus and knelt by him. Reyna spoke, "Where?"

"Camp Jupiter," Atticus cried. He coughed up blood and a tooth. "She won't be there for the assault on the demititan base."

"Who will be leading it?" Enyo questioned. Atticus looked up. He didn't seem like he wanted to answer, but Reyna glared hatefully at him. Atticus looked away with fear in his eyes.

"Akil is leading it," Atticus whispered.

"You must go then," Enyo said to Reyna.

"No," Reyna said. She looked at Enyo. "Sula dies tonight."

"Do you know how protected Camp Jupiter is?" Enyo demanded. "You won't be able to get to Sula. She'll capture you and torture you!"

Reyna didn't respond. She quietly gathered arrows from fallen barbarians. Enyo grabbed her angrily and spoke, "You can't throw your life away."

Reyna looked at Enyo as she pulled away. She looked around the camp and smirked. The daughter of Bellona grabbed the backpack that she had put in a corner before she assaulted the camp. After a moment, she opened it and pulled out the vial of Greek fire.

"What are you doing?" Enyo demanded. She turned towards the smoke in the distance and looked back at Reyna. The daughter of Bellona looked around the camp. Her eyes then turned towards Atticus.

"Reyna, no!" Enyo ordered. Reyna walked towards Atticus. She unsheathed her sword and stabbed it into his stomach. After a moment, Reyna dropped the vial onto his wound.

"I wonder if you can beg for Thoon to free you," Reyna said. She pulled out her lighter and flicked it on. Reyna watched the flame appear. She dropped it and snapped her fingers. Time froze.

After walking back towards Enyo, Reyna snapped her fingers. She heard a small explosion. Atticus' scream of pure agony followed.

Enyo stared at Reyna. She looked horrified. The daughter of Bellona looked back at Enyo and spoke, "Do you think there will be anything left for Clarisse to kill?"

"You need to get back and visit Hylla," Enyo began. Reyna glared angrily. Enyo took a step back.

"Don't tell me what to do," Reyna said. She whistled, and Scipio landed in front of her. Pain exploded in her head, and Reyna fell to her knees. She grabbed her head.

A hand grabbed her arm. Before Reyna could react, she found herself in another place. A curse left her mouth. Reyna spoke, "Why?"

Enyo didn't respond. She just pulled Reyna up. The natural thing for Reyna to do was punch the goddess in the face. She tackled her and raised a fist. More pain flashed through her skull.

Reyna fell on her side and snarled in agony. Kronos spoke, "Stop. Your revenge cannot come yet."

"I'm going to kill Sula," Reyna spat. "Don't try to stop me."

"Think about this," Kronos snarled. "You know that the only one who can kill Akil is you. When the assault happens, you must be there."

Reyna opened her eyes and crawled to the table. She looked around seeing red. They were in the same room as when they made the plan. That meant Kronos' blade was on the table.

Reyna barely managed to pull herself up. She felt horrid pain in her head but ignored it. Reyna barely managed to grab the blade. The pain intensified, and it felt like her head was about to explode.

"I have to save her," Reyna snarled. She tried to raise the sword, but her grip loosened as the pain became agonizing. Reyna fell to the ground and gripped her head. Kronos didn't stop the pain.

"Do you see what happens when you disobey me," Kronos demanded. Reyna knew she was being punished. This was her mind though. She was in control.

A spike of pain in her skull shattered the illusion. Kronos laughed at her pain. He spoke, "I give you your anger. You must learn to control it or turn it on my enemies. Understood?"

"Yes," Reyna muttered. The pain disappeared. She laid her head back and stared at the ceiling. Black dots danced in her vision.

Reyna managed to sit up after a moment. She slowly managed to stand. Reyna glanced at the blade and looked at the ground. Her mind ran through the last few hours.

"Hylla will be avenged," Kronos promised. Reyna glanced around for Enyo, but she guessed the goddess went back for Atticus.

"What do you get out of this?" Reyna questioned. "Why help?"

"We've been over this," Kronos said annoyed. "I get revenge on Metis for what she did. It's not only from using me. She also gave me the potion that caused me to vomit up my kids."

Reyna sighed and walked out of the room. She stopped by the makeshift infirmary and peeked inside. Hylla was sleeping on a bed and looked pained. A bandage was covering her neck and chest. Reyna knew how to save her sister, but she couldn't do it with Kronos in her head.

The daughter of Bellona looked down at the ground. She caught sight of her father's dog tags. Her mother had told her not to end up like him. It seemed like she becoming worse.

Reyna turned and walked back towards the room that Enyo had been in. Enyo had looked completely terrified of her. The goddess of war even seemed disgusted by her actions.

All Reyna wanted was her place back at Camp Jupiter. That would never happen. She was an enemy of Olympus because she was working for Kronos. She had attacked people she once called friends.

"Stop dwelling," Kronos ordered. "You and I both know you are beyond redemption. Your own sister hates you for what you said. Your friends, the Romans, the Greeks, and the Hunters will never trust you again. Olympus will never trust you. Atropos' protection is the only reason you haven't been punished."

Reyna nodded silently. She remembered the fight between Kronos and Ouranos. Kronos won and then attacked her friends. He had wanted to torture Reyna for information because he thought she knew something. He told Perses to destroy Hylla.

"When will the attack happen?" Reyna asked as she stood. She leaned on the table and stared at her reflection in the blade. Blood caked her face, and her armor was covered in it. All of the blood was from the barbarians.

"Soon," Kronos answered.

"Is Scipio fast enough?" Reyna questioned. She focused on the circle of gold in her eyes.

"Yes," Kronos replied. "Even if you are late, the army should be able to hold out till you get there."

"Good," Reyna said as she made up her mind. Her right hand shot out to grab the sword. Terrible pain exploded in her head. Reyna grabbed Kronos' blade and lifted it.

"You wanted to kill Hylla," Reyna hissed. She turned the blade, so the point was facing her. She slowly grabbed the sword with her left hand.

"Don't," Kronos snarled. The pain became even worse. Reyna almost dropped the sword, but she focused on a picture of her sister's face. Reyna took a deep breath and stabbed herself in the chest.

For a second, there was nothing but silence. Then, pain exploded in her chest. Reyna screamed in agony and closed her eyes as she saw a bright light. She opened her eyes a moment later.

With shaking hands, Reyna grabbed the sword handle. She tried to pull it out, but the pain was too much. It forced her to her knees. Reyna looked at the ground and saw her reflection in the squeaky clean tile. There was no more gold in her eyes.

Reyna looked at the ground. Kronos was gone. He was finally out of her head. Reyna was in full control of her actions, but half of her soul was in Tartarus.

She would have to find redemption for what she had done. It wasn't likely that anyone would help her though. They probably wouldn't even forgive her. Reyna sighed as she realized the task she had ahead.

Reyna looked up as the door opened. Circe stared down at her. Reyna closed her eyes, and she allowed herself to pass out.


	22. Victory Stands on the Back of Sacrifice

Reyna woke up and almost choked on blood. She spat it out and tried to look around. There was darkness everywhere. Reyna realized a bag was over her head.

Two people were dragging her. Reyna lifted her head and tried to breath. Pain exploded in her chest, and there was an even worse pain in her stomach. Reyna gasped as she found herself unable to breath. The feeling of needing to vomit overpowered everything else.

"It looks like our friend is awake," a woman said. Reyna gasped as she was thrown to the ground. The bag was taken off of her head. Reyna managed to get to her hands and knees before she vomited her guts out.

Reyna stared down at the blood in her vomit after she finished. She coughed more blood out and moved her hands only to find her wrists tied together. Her wrists were bleeding from where the tight ropes had cut into them.

When she looked up, a bright light almost blinded her. Reyna realized it was a man. He kicked her in the face, and the force knocked her to the side. Reyna couldn't even fight as the bag was thrown back over her head.

"Who are you?" Reyna wheezed. She felt the two grab her arms and drag her in between them. Reyna only remembered Hylla stabbing her in the chest. Everything after that was blank.

"You're our prisoner," the man answered. "There is quite a bounty on your head, and we plan on capitalizing. We came out of retirement for this."

"It should be worth it," the woman said. Reyna tried to look up, but she didn't have the strength. The pain was the worst she had ever been in.

"We should rest," the man muttered in the language of the Titans. He dropped Reyna's left arm. Reyna felt the woman drop her as well. She collapsed to the ground and brought both hands to the bag over her head.

A kick to the chest stopped her. Reyna wheezed for breath and coughed out blood. She couldn't breath for a few moments. Reyna finally managed to catch her breath.

"It's for your protection kid," the woman hissed. "How does the poison feel? Metis gave it to us a long time ago and told us we would need it one day."

"What poison?" Reyna wheezed. The woman laughed but didn't respond. Reyna laid her head back and closed her eyes. The pain wouldn't go away.

As Reyna started to find sweet relief in unconsciousness, she heard the flapping of wings. Her eyes opened, but the bag over her head made it nearly impossible to see. She felt the two pull her to her feet.

"What is this?" a voice hissed. It was full of hate. The sound of wings was much closer. Reyna felt a presence right in front of her.

"The prisoner for Hades," the man replied. Reyna winced as the bag was taken off of her head. She stared at the winged figure in front of her. A Fury. "Alecto, may we pass?"

Alecto grabbed Reyna's face. Reyna stared into the glowing eyes of the fury. She tried to speak, but her voice wouldn't work. Alecto spoke, "Bring her. My master will be pleased."

"I don't know why you want me," Reyna wheezed. The bag was thrown back over her head. She didn't struggle as the man and woman dragged her again. Reyna allowed herself to go limp.

After ten minutes, Reyna heard a door open. She felt the atmosphere change, and she was no longer being dragged on dirt. Reyna groaned as she was thrown to the ground.

Reyna rolled onto her back and slowly took the bag off of her head. She looked up at the man standing over her. Reyna spoke in a pained voice," Lord Pluto, I don't know what's going on."

"It's Hades here," the lord of the dead answered. He grabbed Reyna by her shirt and picked her up. "You are suppose to kill my daughter."

"What?" Reyna questioned in confusion. She tried to lift her head to meet his eyes, but she was too weak. Reyna stared at the ground and saw her legs were covered in blood. Her knees were bleeding like crazy because of how she had been dragged.

"Sir, may we have our reward?" the man questioned. Reyna tried looking at him, but the light that came from him was too bright. A groan escaped as she was thrown back to the ground.

"Why come here Helios? You have your own little palace," Hades muttered.

"I thought you faded," Reyna muttered. She forced herself to look at Helios for a split second. It burned her eyes. Reyna looked back at the ground.

"We die when we fade. Where do all dead things go?" Helios sneered. He emphasized his point with a kick to her side. Reyna rolled onto her side to protect it. She closed her eyes.

"What is the blade you are using?" a new voice questioned. Reyna forced her eyes open and recognized Prometheus. He walked towards her and knelt by her. His hand rested on the hilt of the knife that was buried in Reyna's stomach. "May I?"

"I can't stop you," Reyna hissed. Prometheus pulled the knife out as quickly and as painlessly as he could. Reyna laid her head back. The urge to vomit was coming back.

"A blade that was dipped in the five rivers. There's only one place to find this recipe," Prometheus commented.

"Metis is very generous with her knowledge." Helios responded. A growl escaped Hades. "Oh, we didn't know how she would try to end the world. Trust us."

Hades didn't respond. Reyna heard something hit the ground. Helios laughed in delight. Reyna slowly opened her eyes to see a large bag next to Hades' feet.

"Take it and leave," Hades ordered. Helios nodded to the woman. Together, they carried the bag out of the throne room.

Reyna felt two furies grab her arm and pull her to her knees. She stared at the ground and spat blood out. Hades knelt in front of her and grabbed her face. He spoke, "You remember nothing?"

"No," Reyna wheezed.

"When your sister stabbed you in the chest with Kronos' blade, half of your soul was torn from your body. I'm speaking to that half now," Hades explained. He gripped her face. "The half still in the mortal world has been causing mayhem."

"Which is why you need to let her go," Prometheus interrupted. "Where you believe me or not, Helios and Selene did not want to help you. They want you to torture Reyna and break her."

"And?" Hades questioned. He glared up at the Titan.

"We cannot afford for the reaper to be anymore broken," Prometheus explained. "I know Metis' plan. She wants to bring back the golden age of man. The reaper is the only one who can stop her."

"Reaper?" Reyna questioned. She looked up. "What is that?"

"You won't know for now," Prometheus answered. "When you return to the mortal world, everything that has happened to you in both Tartarus and the mortal world will be remembered."

"I was in Tartarus?" Reyna asked. She blinked confused. "How am I here?"

"An autopilot of sorts," Prometheus answered. He examined her. "Whenever you do get back, you must make sure Metis pays. She murdered my daughter."

Reyna nodded slightly. She didn't know what to think, and the pain made it nearly impossible to. Hades sighed. He stood and started to pace.

Hades spoke, "I should torture you until the end of time. Luckily, you must save the world, and someone has already volunteered to take your place."

Reyna looked up in pain and confusion. She stared at the man that stepped into the throne room. He was wearing a simple shirt and pants. His hair was clean cut, and his eyes held none of the insanity that had haunted her for years.

"Father," Reyna whispered. She gasped as she was shoved to the ground. Her father pulled her into a gentle hug a moment later. Tears escaped Reyna's eyes.

"I've been watching your progress," her father whispered. "I am so proud of you, and I am so sorry that I wasn't there to watch you grow up. You cannot turn into what I did."

"I won't," Reyna cried. "I can't let you be hurt because of me. I'm so sorry for what I did."

"It's not your fault," her father promised. He kissed her forehead and made her look at him. "You are a Roman. Do not forget it. Let it guide you. Reyna, I love you."

Reyna tried to speak but couldn't. She buried her face in her father's chest. After a moment, he pulled away and stood. The furies grabbed Reyna's arms again. She didn't fight. All she did was look up at her father.

"You can't take my place," Reyna whispered. She looked up at Hades. "You can't let him do this."

"Your father is lucky enough to no longer have the insanity that held him for many years. I am gracious enough to allow him to take your punishment," Hades sneered.

"I don't care," Reyna snapped. "Let me take his place. Torture me instead. I won't let anyone be hurt because of me."

Prometheus walked towards Hades. He whispered in his ear. After holding up the dagger, Hades nodded slightly. The lord of the dead walked towards Reyna.

"Leave my father out of this," Reyna begged. Hades grabbed her shoulder. Reyna swallowed back tears. "Please."

"Reyna, don't," her father ordered. He looked at her, and she reluctantly met his eyes. "You must win this war. Remember, victory stands on the back of sacrifice."

It took all of her willpower to keep in tears. Reyna stared at the ground and swallowed painfully. She looked up at Hades who tightened his grip on her shoulder.

"If you lay a hand on my daughter, your father suffers for eternity," Hades warned. Reyna opened her mouth, but the world stared to spin. Reyna got a horrible sense of vertigo which forced her to close her eyes. When she opened them, she was laying in a bed.

Reyna stared up at the ceiling. She took deep breaths and turned on her side. Her mind was assaulted by all that happened. Reyna closed her eyes tightly and gripped her pillow.

Tartarus had been a cakewalk. All she had done was stay hidden and follow the rivers. No one messed with her. When she made it to Hades, some of the spirits had muttered reaper as she passed. Then, she ran into Helios and Selena.

Reyna placed a hand to her ribs. They weren't broken, but the terrible pain was still there. She stared at the ceiling as she thought of all that she had done.

Being exiled. Killing the Hunters for Circe. The entire situation with Annabeth. Reyna's list of sins went on and on.

After a moment, Reyna sat up. She put her head in her hands and took a deep breath. The door opened, and she looked up. Wynris walked in and bowed to her.

"Circe told me that you would not have the will to fight," Wynris began. Reyna held up a hand and slowly stood.

"That would be true, if the other half of my soul was stll in Tartarus," Reyna said. She turned her head and stared at Hylla. Her sister was still asleep. There was a bandage on her neck.

"If?" Wynris questioned. He stood and watched her cautiously. There was a new look of respect in his eyes. "You pulled yourself out of Hades with only half of a soul?"

"It's a long story," Reyna answered. She walked towards the table that held her weapons and armor. Reyna quickly dressed and looked back at Wynris. "I have a new plan. Are you ready?"

"Always," Wynris answered. Reyna nodded and heard the door open again. Enyo stepped in and stared at her.

"You need to go," Enyo said. She walked towards Reyna. "Now. Circe is talking to Metis."

"Can you take Hylla back to the demititans' base?" Reyna asked. Enyo nodded. "Good. I need to go to the prison camp."

"It's suicide," Enyo argued. "You don't even half the other half of your soul."

"I do," Reyna promised. Enyo started at her. "Look, it is a long story that I don't want to talk about. Please don't ask again."

"It's not suicide if we play it right," Wynris interrupted. "Are you still going to be our Troden horse?"

"Trojan horse," Reyna corrected. She looked down at Hylla and took a deep breath. Reyna looked at the other two. "No. I have another idea."

"What do you hope to accomplish?" Enyo questioned. She walked towards Hylla and gently picked her up. Enyo looked back at Reyna.

Reyna gripped the sword that marked her as a champion of Atropos. She ran her mind through everything that had happened. Reyna looked back at the two and spoke, "Redemption."


	23. Trojan Horse

Annabeth leaned forward and stared at the message that had been delivered to them. A feeling of sickness overcame her. She looked at Sarah. Despite having a broken leg, the demititan looked ready to fight.

"Will the demititan survive?" Clarisse questioned. She was referring to the scout that had been dragged in with a message carved into their back. It had been a horrific sight.

"I don't know," Sarah replied. She gripped the table with one hand. The other hand held a sheathed sword which doubled as a cane. Annabeth had no clue how Sarah was managing to get around. "The atrocity will be avenged."

"I'm sick of waiting around," Clarisse muttered. She paced back and forth. "We have to do something."

"Agreed," Kinzie said as she looked up. "If we can surprise them, we may have the advantage. Otherwise, we are just sitting ducks."

"That doesn't solve our dilemma," Annabeth interrupted. She motioned to the note. Everyone was doing their best to not look at it. "We have our ultimatum, and we must answer it."

"You're not giving yourself up," Clarisse snapped. She looked at Annabeth angrily and stopped pacing. "Just forget about it."

"If I don't, they kill ten Greeks," Annabeth hissed. "We both know it won't be a nice and clean death. They will be tortured!"

"We can't afford to lose you," Kinzie said. She gently grabbed Annabeth's hand. "Look, I know that it sucks. We'll think of something."

"No, we won't," Sarah muttered. "We have gone through every scenario."

The four fell silent. Annabeth looked back at the note. For every hour that she waited to turn herself in, ten Greeks would die. Annabeth couldn't allow that on her conscious.

The door behind her opened. Annabeth whirled around and stared at Enyo. The goddess had an unconscious Hylla over her shoulder. Enyo spoke, "Where am I putting her?"

"Follow me," Kinzie ordered. She quickly led the goddess out. Annabeth followed behind them after a moment. It only took a minute to reach the infirmary.

"What happened?" Annabeth questioned. She watched Enyo lay Hylla on the bed. Hylla was pale, but she looked like she would survive.

"Circe saved her life," Enyo answered. "But, the witch does not have true allegiances. She is flirting with the enemy again. That is why Reyna ordered me to take Hylla here."

"How did Reyna react to this?" Clarisse questioned from behind them. She leaned on the wall. Her hand gripped the handle of her sword.

"She destroyed three barbarian camps," Enyo answered. "They were burnt to the ground."

"That's why you brought Atticus in all burned up?" Annabeth asked. The sight made her sick to her stomach.

"Greek fire," Enyo muttered darkly. "Reyna lost it, but she did stab herself in the chest to get rid of Kronos."

"Why?" Annabeth asked. She raised an eyebrow.

"For her sister," Kinzie answered. She ran a hand through Hylla's hair. Kinzie looked up. "Am I right?"

"Yes," Enyo confirmed. She crossed her arms as she looked at the other two in the room. Ulysses paid no attention to them as he focused on his patient. "What happened?"

"Tortured to send a message," Sarah responded as she limped into the room. "Sula wants Annabeth. My guess is to take her to the prison camp."

"You should go," Enyo said. "We need an inside person."

"They will torture her," Clarisse argued. "If they want to avenge those camps, it won't be pretty."

"We must all make sacrifices," Enyo stated simply. She sat by Hylla. "I have been assigned to be her personal guard. Trust me, it isn't the job I want."

"Where is Reyna now?" Kinzie asked. One hand was in her jacket pocket. Enyo shrugged, but it was a clear lie. Kinzie glared and tensed.

"I'm going," Annabeth decided. "Clarisse, while I'm gone, you need to keep things together. If Percy messages, let him know what happened."

"Stay safe wise girl," Clarisse muttered. Annabeth nodded to her. She took a deep breath and turned. Annabeth walked out of the room and out of the building.

Annabeth hurried to the front entrance. She saw Piper by the entrance. The daughter of Aphrodite turned towards her and stared. She opened her mouth.

"Don't stop me," Annabeth ordered. She handed her hat and sword to Piper. "Take care of it please. I'll be fine."

"You can't go," Piper pleaded.

"I'll be fine, "Annabeth swore. "Trust me."

Piper hugged her tightly. Annabeth hugged her back. She noticed two demititans move to her side. They both wore hoods and had war paint on. The two were Sarah's archers.

"I'm going out there," Annabeth informed them. The archers glanced at each other. One finally nodded and placed a hand to the door. It opened, and Annabeth stepped through. The two archers followed her.

Annabeth stared at the three barbarians in front of her. Two rode horses. A third stood in the middle with chains in his hands. Annabeth spoke, "I'm ready to turn myself in."

"Good," the man said. He motioned for her to come forward. Annabeth did, and the man quickly chained her. Annabeth noticed the two archers were watching tensely.

"Go back inside," Annabeth ordered. The archers hesitated before finally nodding. They disappeared into the entrance.

"Let's go," the man ordered. He started to walk away. Annabeth didn't fight. As they walked, she noticed a few of Sarah's archers in the trees. They blended in perfectly. Annabeth only knew them because of the bird calls they made.

"Why does Sula want me?" Annabeth questioned.

"Metis wanted you," the barbarian answered. "She hates all children of Athena. The only thing she wants is to torture them until the end of time."

"Wynris, should we really tell her all this?" one of the barbarians questioned.

"Why not?" Wynris questioned. He raised an eyebrow. "She asked, so we should tell."

"Your Huns and you are undisciplined," the other barbarians growled. "You waltzed into the camp ten minutes ago with your little barbarian guards and think that you can just capture the daughter of Athena."

"I didn't think I could," Wynris corrected. "Now, are we really going to argue in front of our guest?"

Annabeth watched the barbarians as they walked. The other two seemed to dislike Wynris. She guessed it was because he was a Hun. Maybe, she could exploit it.

It took them five minutes to reach a camp. Barbarians were lounging around. It angered Annabeth. She knew that the barbarians could just throw a party while they surrounded the demititans.

Annabeth was shoved to the ground. She saw a man approach her. His gray eyes bore into her. The man spoke, "Annabeth Chase."

"Akil sir," Wynris said. He clenched his right fist and put it over his heart before bowing. Akil smirked and looked back at Annabeth.

"Do you really think your army can stop mine?" Akil questioned. Annabeth just glared at him. He grabbed her chains and pulled her forward. Annabeth stumbled to her feet, but Akil kicked her feet out from under her.

"She needs to be taken to the prison camp," Akil said. He looked up. "Now that we have their strategist, we will attack soon. The question is who will take this one to the camp."

"Let the Visigoths do it," the barbarian on the horse said. The other nodded in agreement. Wynris crossed his arms, but he remained silent. Akil studied the three.

"The Huns will do it," Akil decided. Wynris nodded again and bowed. He grabbed Annabeth's chains and pulled her forward. Annabeth was forced to get to her feet to avoid being dragged on the ground.

"Am I heading out now sir?" Wynris questioned. Akil nodded. The Hun bowed one more time before dragging Annabeth away. She looked around the camp trying to take in any information she could.

Annabeth looked up at the group of barbarians that she was led to. They all wore leather armor that covered their entire body. Most had helmets that covered their faces.

"Let's go," Wynris ordered. Annabeth felt a barbarian grab her arm and start to lead her away. Eight other barbarians including Wynris surrounded them and started to walk. They were headed towards stables.

"Keep calm," the barbarian next to Annabeth ordered. The voice was extremely familiar. Annabeth turned her head and stared into the barbarian's black eyes.

"Reyna?" Annabeth whispered. Reyna nodded slightly. "What's going on?"

"We need a Trojan horse," Reyna whispered back. She looked at Annabeth. "You were the best choice."

"So, you want to sacrifice me?" Annabeth hissed. Reyna looked away and sighed sadly.

"No," Reyna replied. "The Greeks and the Romans won't listen to me. You are the best choice. I'll be there the entire time."

"That doesn't comfort me," Annabeth said. Reyna nodded like she expected it. She led Annabeth towards a horse and helped her on.

Reyna placed a hand to her chest and winced. She pulled herself onto the horse behind Annabeth. Reyna hissed a curse of pain.

"I know that I did terrible things," Reyna muttered after a moment. "You don't have to forgive me. Please, just give me another chance."

"You are going to kill Hazel and Leo," Annabeth snapped as they left the camp behind. Reyna didn't respond for a few moments.

"If I kill Hazel, Hades will torture my father for eternity. Both camps will make me enemy number one. If I don't, Atropos will kill me, and someone else will take my place. They won't hesitate to kill them," Reyna muttered.

Annabeth looked down at the ground. She had not thought about that. Her gaze focused back up. Annabeth spoke, "I'll find my way out of the prison camp. Don't help."

Reyna didn't respond. She fell silent. Annabeth didn't care. There was no part of her that trusted Reyna, and nothing would change that.

"What do I have to do for you to trust me?" Reyna whispered after minutes of silence. Annabeth twisted herself to look back at Reyna. Anger filled her chest.

"Nothing," Annabeth hissed. "You threatened my friends. You worked with Kronos. You attacked me. There is nothing you can do that will make anyone trust you again."

Reyna looked down. Annabeth turned back to the front. She glared ahead. Wynris rode next to them.

"Ma'am, is the plan still the same?" Wynris questioned. He was watching Reyna closely.

"Yes," Reyna answered. She didn't sound angry like Annabeth had been expecting. Instead, she sounded sad and a little heartbroken. Annabeth looked down but gritted her teeth. Reyna deserved it.

"I swear to you that we will protect the daughter of Athena the best we can," Wynris swore. He nodded to Annabeth and rode on ahead.

Annabeth just glared at the ground as her mind raced. She needed to plan for what would happen when they reached the prison. There was no way that she could trust Reyna or the Huns. The only person Annabeth could trust was herself.


	24. All Warfare is Based on Deception

Sula stared down at the map in front of her. Two barbarian guards stood at the door. They were staring ahead and wouldn't dare meet her eyes. Akil and Macsen stood in front of her.

Macsen was shaking in rage. His eyes had a scary amount of hatred. It was hard to blame him. They had received reports of what happened to Atticus.

"Why wouldn't they just bargain Atticus for the daughter of Athena?" Macsen muttered.

"We wouldn't accept it, and they know that," Akil answered. He stared ahead with emotionless eyes. "Did our plan work?"

Sula smirked and didn't answer. She took a deep breath. Annabeth had been dragged into the camp only a few hours ago by the Huns. They would deal with her soon.

The door opened. Wynris walked in followed by two of his barbarian guards. He met Sula's eyes and gave her the slightest of nods. Wynris spoke, "You summoned us?"

"I just wanted to speak to my protege," Sula replied. She saw one of the barbarians quickly look up. Sula met Reyna's black eyes. "Did you really think you could just walk into this camp? You fell for Metis' plan."

Reyna went to grab her sword. Wynris grabbed her arm and flipped her over his shoulder. The barbarian pinned Reyna and smirked at her.

"The Huns would never bow to a Roman," Wynris sneered. "Never."

"Did you really think Circe would be speaking to Metis? Enyo played her part to perfection," Sula added. She looked at the two Arimaspi. "May we speak in private?"

Akil studied her for a long moment. He finally nodded and walked out. Macsen glared and followed after a moment. The other barbarians didn't move.

"Take her weapons and armor," Sula ordered Wynris. The barbarian nodded and quickly complied. He was careful to avoid touching Reyna's sword with his bare hands.

Reyna didn't struggle. She was glaring at Sula with absolute hate. It hurt Sula to see her protege like that. She didn't want to fight Reyna, but the world needed to be saved.

Wynris tied Reyna's arms behind her back. He stepped away, bowed to Sula, and walked out. Reyna glared and looked around. She got to her knees but put up no resistance. It was odd, but Sula wasn't concerned.

"What do you want?" Reyna spat. Sula looked down sadly. She remembered the first day she had met Reyna. Now, that person wasn't there.

"You are a Caesar," Sula replied sadly. She kicked Reyna hard in the face. Reyna collapsed on her side. "Do you know what that means?"

"Go to Tartarus," Reyna spat. She slowly sat up. Sula kicked her hard in the face again and pinned her.

"Our families have been fighting for so long," Sula whispered. She pulled out the knife that Akil had given her. The rainbow of colors held her attention for a few moments. "That's why I had to kill Hylla."

"She's not dead," Reyna sneered. Sula stared down at her. "That's the first strike, wasn't it? You are in a war with my family. It had nothing to do with the Arimaspi. When you attacked Hylla, that was the first strike in our personal war."

"Is that suppose to be important?" Sula questioned. Reyna looked at the ceiling without a response. She sighed as if she understood something.

"How did you get Enyo to work with you?" Reyna muttered.

"I just had to talk to her," Sula replied. She smirked. "Enyo despises your mother, and she would do to make sure that Bellona rots in Tartarus. It wasn't hard to convince her to work with Circe."

"Is Circe working with you?" Reyna asked. Sula glared as she remembered what the witch had done. They had the end of the world in their grasp. Then, Circe had released Jason Grace from her charmspeak. The boy had not killed Jupiter like he was suppose to.

"No," Sula answered. "She doesn't realize that Enyo is using her. Since Enyo is now inside your camp, you don't stand a chance."

Reyna didn't respond. She was watching the dagger closely. Her eyes were trying to hide her fear. Sula smirked.

"You are so easy to fool," Sula whispered. "Vengeance ruled your mind. That is why you came here. For some reason, you thought that Wynris was trustworthy. How did that work out?"

"Shut up," Reyna snapped. She glared. "I'm going to kill you."

Sula sighed and stabbed Reyna in the chest. Reyna cried out in pain and closed her eyes tightly. Sula spoke, "I don't envy the poison that will be running through your body soon. Try not to scream too loud."

Sula stood and walked towards the door. She looked back at her protege. Reyna's teeth were gritted, and she already seemed to be in terrible pain. It would only get much worse for her.

"For Rome," Sula whispered under her breath. She stepped out of the room and closed the door. Akil looked at her.

"Is it time?" Akil questioned. Sula shook her head.

"She needs to suffer," Sula replied. Akil grabbed her shoulder. He stared into her eyes. Sula glared. There was no way she was going to let him unnerve her.

"The time for protection is over. She chose her side. Now, is it time?" Akil whispered. Sula finally nodded. Akil smiled and stepped into the room.

"I give the daughter of Bellona four hours," Macsen muttered. He led Sula away. "What do we do about the daughter of Athena?"

"I assume Akil will want to talk to her next. If not, Metis will happily torture her," Sula explained. "We have Enyo in the demititans' camp. Has she sent a report?"

Macsen shook his head. He rubbed the handle of one of his axes. Something was causing him to be off. It was most likely that he was worried about Atticus.

"They'll kill him," Macsen decided.

"No, they won't," Sula argued. "They don't have the guts too. That daughter of Mars won't be able to do it. She's a Greek."

"You sound sure," Macsen muttered. Sula smiled. There was no doubt that she was right. Sula knew the enemy.

"I am," Sula promised. They stepped through a door and into the cell block. There was no real worry for a breakout. Anyone seen as a leader had been beaten down. Sula would have like to execute them, but Metis had told her no.

They walked towards a cell that only had one occupant in it. Annabeth Chase looked up at her. She stood and watched them.

"What do you want?" Annabeth questioned. Sula studied her. The Greek didn't look scared at all. That would soon change.

"Do you know how screwed you are?" Sula wondered. "Reyna is being broken as we speak. I pity her."

"What are you talking about?" Annabeth demanded. She took a step closer and studied them intently.

"Metis' plan has worked extremely well," Sula replied. "Reyna thought she was in control of the Huns. We used Wynris to trick her into coming here. Enyo was extremely useful as well. Reyna is going to die tonight."

"By having her beg Atropos to free her," Annabeth said. Sula looked at her in surprise, but she saw no harm in nodding. "Reyna won't give in."

"That's where you are wrong," Macsen hissed. He slammed his fist into the cage. "She is going to pay for what happened to Atticus."

Annabeth didn't answer. She finally just sat back down and watched them silently. Her face betrayed no emotion. Sula smirked. Soon, they would have all the information that they needed.

"You're next," Sula swore in a whisper. "Where is the champion of Clotho?"

Annabeth looked at her in surprise. She spoke, "You don't know?"

Sula didn't like that answer. She glanced at Macsen. His look unnerved her.

"They went to Rome," Macsen whispered. "Damn it. I knew it, and you didn't believe me!"

"There is no reason to go to Rome," Sula hissed. She glared at Annabeth. "What are they doing there?"

Annabeth studied her for a few moments. She seemed to realize something. Annabeth leaned back against the wall and spoke, "You tell me."

"Do you think that you have leverage?" Macsen demanded. He slammed his fists into the cell bars. "You are in a prison camp. Every Greek, Roman, and Hunter that we have captured lies in these cells. If you don't answer, we'll just kill some of them."

"That won't work because I don't know why they went to Rome," Annabeth answered. Her voice was steady and even. Sula decided that she wasn't lying.

"Who does?" Sula questioned. Annabeth didn't respond, and that gave Sula the answer. She glared and backed away. "Reyna knows."

Sula growled in anger. She hurried back down the hall. As she walked, she glanced at the prisoners in cells. They all had their hands cuffed in front of them, and most of them looked defeated. Some were whispering. Sula made a note to have them beaten down.

It only took two minutes to reach her office. She shoved the door opened and stepped inside. Sula stared. The two barbarians guards were dead. Akil was sitting against the desk with the knife buried in his chest.

"What happened?" Sula demanded. She hurried to Akil's side. No response was given. Sula grabbed him. "Where is she?"

Akil still didn't answer. His eyes slowly closed as the pain became too much for him. Sula shoved him away. She stood and turned. A dagger flew by her face.

"Impressive," Sula complimented as she looked up. Reyna collapsed against the wall. She looked like she could barely stay standing. Her hand gripped another dagger.

"How does it feel?" Sula questioned. "I heard the poison was absolutely crippling."

"You don't seem concerned about Akil," Reyna wheezed. She tried to take a step forward, but she collapsed to her hands and knees.

"You can only kill him with your sword," Sula sneered. She watched Reyna and noticed how tense she was. The daughter of Bellona had to be in pure agony. "Did you really think you could escape?"

"Didn't want to escape," Reyna wheezed. Sula shook her head. She walked towards Reyna and grabbed her face.

"What is your grand plan?" Sula asked. "Were you hoping to find Arcus?"

"Iris is here?" Reyna whispered. Her eyes were starting to close. She made a pained noise.

"Everyone is here," Sula spat. "You fell for Metis' plan. Soon, the golden age of man will be back. I am the harbinger of that. What do you have to say to that?"

"All warfare is based on deception," Reyna wheezed. She stabbed Sula in the chest. Sula gasped and looked down. "That was for every Roman and Greek that died because of you."

Sula tried to grab the knife. Reyna punched her in the face and pinned her. She tore the knife out and placed it to Sula's neck.

"Don't do this," Sula hissed. She stared at the tip of the knife and tried to ignore her fear. "You don't have the guts to do this. I was your mentor. Remember that."

"You think that you tricked me. You're wrong," Reyna whispered. "All it took was a little deception to get into this camp."

Sula glared up at her. She focused back on the knife and waited for the inevitable. Reyna swallowed painfully and stabbed Sula in the neck. She spoke, "That was for Hylla."

Sula's right hand shot to the vial on her neck. Reyna grabbed her hand and pinned it. She tore the vial off and examined it. Reyna slipped the vial into her pocket and spoke, "I'm sorry it had to end this way."

Sula stared up at her protege. It couldn't end like this. She had to save the Romans. Reyna couldn't be allowed to destroy her progress.

Reyna looked down at her sadly. Sula placed a hand to her neck and chest to stop the bleeding. She had no medicine on her. There was no way that she could die.

As Reyna turned away, the door opened. Sula slowly looked up to see Metis. The goddess regarded them and smirked.

"Am I late?" Metis questioned. Reyna took a step back, but it seemed like she could barely stay on her feet. "Sula, I have to thank you for your service. Reyna saved me the trouble of having to kill you."

Sula stared at the goddess. How dare she? Sula had done everything for her. It couldn't end like this.

"I'm sorry," Reyna whispered as she looked at Sula. She turned back towards Metis. "What do you want?"

"You are not in the position to ask questions," Metis replied. She looked around the room and nodded. "The poison hasn't fully kicked in yet?"

"Guess I'm just resistant," Reyna said. She was lying. Sula knew that she could use her last breath to warn Metis, but the goddess had betrayed her. She could rot in Tartarus.

Sula laid her head back. All of her efforts had gone to waste. The world was going to fall because of the Caesar bloodline. Sula looked at Reyna. Her eyes slowly closed.

Sula had been fighting so long. She didn't want to stop, but fate was cruel. Sula finally allowed herself to relax, and all her pain faded as the world disappeared.


	25. Amat Victoria Curam

Annabeth stared at the ceiling in confusion. When she had first met Metis, the goddess promised to break her. Those threats had been pretty empty so far. In fact, no one had visited her.

It was nighttime. Annabeth didn't know the exact time though. Her mind was racing. She had seen a few Greeks, but they looked too scared to even say hi to her. They barely even looked at her.

Footsteps interrupted her thoughts. She looked up and stared at the five barbarians in front of her cell. One of them held a key in his hand. Another had armor. The third had a weapon.

"Move quickly," Wynris ordered. The barbarian with the key nodded and opened the cell.

"What's going on?" Annabeth demanded.

"Did Reyna not brief you on the way here?" Wynris asked. He raised an eyebrow. Annabeth frowned. Honestly, she had completely shut down any of Reyna's attempts to talk to her.

"No," Annabeth answered. Wynris sighed and muttered a curse under his breath.

"Dress," Wynris answered. A barbarian handed armor to Annabeth. "I will explain."

Annabeth nodded slightly. She started to put on the armor. Wynris took a deep breath and spoke, "The Huns are not working with Metis."

"After Attila's second death, we were approached by a Titan," Wynris explained. "He convinced us to work with you when the Arimaspi attacked. He knew that most of your warriors would be taken to this prison."

"Reyna won our loyalty when she killed Attila in their duel," Wynris continued. "We were told to wait for the perfect moment to tell her about it. That came when Metis entrusted us to work with Circe to capture her."

"Circe is evil," Annabeth interrupted.

"She works with us, so I don't really care," Wynris said. "For some reason, she wants to be protective of the oldest daughter of Bellona. That is why she works with us."

"Enyo has pretended to work with Metis. She is with us," Wynris continued. "Metis does not know that though. She has been talking with Circe but doesn't realize the witch is against her as well. Since Reyna is such a good actor, no one suspects the breakout."

"Breakout?" Annabeth asked. "We're breaking people out?"

"Now," Wynris replied. "More defenses were suppose to be implemented today. Everyone was so distracted with Reyna's appearance and Sula's death."

Annabeth stared at him. How could Sula be dead? Did Reyna do it? Annabeth had a ton of questions but no answers.

"Take me to Reyna," Annabeth ordered.

"Our orders are to break out the prisoners," Wynris said.

"Then, you can do that while I go and find Reyna," Annabeth countered. Wynris studied her for a moment, but he finally nodded. He snapped something in another language, and the barbarians quickly hurried away.

"Akil and Macsen thought they saw Reyna being tricked by the Huns," Wynris muttered as he led her out of the prison block. They hurried out of another hall. "It was Reyna's acting that got us by."

"They think that you betrayed Reyna? Is that why no one has focused on me?" Annabeth questioned. Wynris nodded. "That was a risky gamble."

"Reyna trusts you," Wynris muttered. He fell silent as they passed by a group of guards that were busy drinking. Annabeth tensed up, but they passed by without incident.

The two stopped outside a room. There was one, large man that stood guard at the door. A large hammer that was the size of a small child was on his back. He looked at them.

"What do you want?" the man demanded. He seemed to size them up and didn't look happy about their presence.

"We need to see the prisoner," Wynris replied. The man studied them and grunted. He stepped aside. Wynris nodded and opened the door. They stepped into the room.

Annabeth looked away as she saw Reyna. The daughter of Bellona was laying on her side, and a large puddle of blood was beneath her. Annabeth hurried to her side and knelt by her.

"Reyna, can you hear me?" Annabeth whispered. Reyna slowly opened her eyes. Annabeth stared at how bloodshot Reyna's eyes were. She tried to speak but only spat blood out.

Wynris knelt next to them. He grabbed the knife that was buried in Reyna's chest. Reyna closed her eyes again. It was clear she was going to pass out.

"You have to stay awake," Annabeth hissed. She grabbed Reyna's face. "I need your help with this."

Reyna didn't move for a moment. She finally gave a small nod. Annabeth slowly helped her stand.

"What's your plan," Reyna wheezed. She turned her head and coughed out blood. It was clear that she was in terrible pain. Reyna placed a hand to the dagger and pulled it out. She gasped in pain.

"I don't know," Annabeth admitted. She looked at Wynris. "Can you do something about the guard outside?"

Wynris nodded and stood. He stepped out of the room. Reyna looked at Annabeth and spoke, "Did they hurt you."

"No," Annabeth answered. She placed a hand to Reyna's chest to try and stop the bleeding. Her mind was racing on what they could do.

"Prison is its own building," Reyna muttered. "Think we can barricade?"

"That's genius," Annabeth said. Reyna didn't smile at the compliment. She seemed extremely shaken. "What did they do to you?"

"Beatings," Reyna whispered. She winced as they heard a loud bang from the outside. "The poison in the blade makes it feel like you have fire in your veins. Then, you have to relive your worst memories."

Reyna stopped talking after that. She closed her eyes and took a shaky breath. Annabeth looked down and spoke, "Take your time."

They both looked up as the door opened. Wynris stepped into the room. He motioned for them to follow. Annabeth helped Reyna stand. Reyna collapsed against her and cursed painfully.

"I'm not leaving you," Annabeth decided. She picked Reyna up over her shoulder. Reyna gasped in surprise, and Annabeth didn't blame her. She had no clue where the sudden strength had come from.

"Are the prisoners separated by godly parent, or is it random?" Annabeth asked.

"Godly parents," Wynris replied. "Shall I carry her?"

Annabeth shook her head. She held her breath as they hurried down the hallway. Thankfully, they didn't run into any other barbarian guards. They stopped outside a cell.

"Annabeth, is that you?" Will asked as he stood. His face was a bloody and bruised mess. "What are you doing here?"

"Busting you out," Annabeth replied. Wynris opened the cell for her. Annabeth stepped inside and laid Reyna down. "Can you help her?"

"Of course," Will answered. He knelt by them.

"How many guards are in this building?" Annabeth questioned as she turned towards Wynris.

"About twenty. Most are sleeping," Wynris answered. Annabeth looked up as she saw some Greeks and Romans walk towards her. They all looked exhausted.

"Annabeth Chase," Hank greeted. He glanced at Reyna distastefully. "What is she doing here?"

"Helping rescue you," Annabeth responded. "Wynris, your Huns need to take out the other barbarians and gather any weapons they can. We have to barricade the doors."

"That will only work for so long," Reyna muttered. She looked up at Annabeth. "We have to leave after we gather everyone."

"If we leave, we'll take casualties that we cannot afford," Hank snapped. He glared at Reyna. "And, we don't need an exile to give us orders."

"I'm just trying to save lives," Reyna said. She tried to sit up. Annabeth gave her a look that warned her not to. Reyna laid her head back and swallowed painfully. She closed her eyes.

"Take care of her," Annabeth ordered as she looked at Will. Her mind was racing. They couldn't hold out forever, but they could hold out long enough. She looked at Wynris. "Where is Iris?"

"What are you thinking?" Wynris questioned.

"If we can message the demititans," Annabeth began. Wynris' eyes widened. He seemed to understand. "They can attack from the outside."

"Will it work?" Hank asked.

"It will," Annabeth promised. "You need to rally the Romans. I'll rally the Greeks."

"Someone has to go to Iris," Wynris said.

"I will," Reyna volunteered. Annabeth looked at her. Reyna was sitting up and had a hand to her chest.

"We can't trust you with that important of a mission," Hank snapped. He glared angrily. Reyna just watched him and didn't respond. Her gaze focused on Annabeth.

"Can you walk?" Annabeth asked. Reyna nodded, but she still looked weak. It was clear that Reyna was going to push herself beyond her limits. Annabeth studied her for a few moments, but she nodded.

Annabeth helped Reyna stand. She looked her in the eyes and nodded once. Reyna nodded back and painfully limped out of the cell. Wynris snapped something to a barbarian in another language, and he followed after Reyna.

"You can't trust her," Hank hissed. He glared at Reyna's back.

"I can, and I will," Annabeth said calmly. She didn't know if she really believed that, but Hank had to. Annabeth grabbed Will and pulled him aside. "How bad was Reyna?"

Will didn't answer. That told Annabeth all she needed to know. She nodded slightly and focused on her task ahead. They could not afford to make any mistakes.


	26. Anything Necessary

Reyna only made it down the hallway before Wynris grabbed her. He gently pulled her towards a room. She looked around but couldn't make out any features of the room. Wynris grabbed her face.

"You can't even walk," Wynris began. He sat her down and grabbed a canteen. Reyna tried to push his arm away, but she wasn't strong enough to do anything. Through the grime and dirt on his arm, she could see a tattoo.

Reyna stared at it. The tattoo had two crossed swords that rested on a shield. There was no tally marks though. Reyna spoke, "What is that?"

"The mark of my father," Wynris answered. "You are the champion of him."

"Quirinus is your father?" Reyna questioned. She stared up at him. As she received a nod, Reyna slowly grabbed the canteen and took a drink. Some of her pain melted away.

They both stayed there in silence. Reyna was trying to ignore the horrible pain in her chest. All she could remember was the feeling of fire in her veins. Panic built up inside.

She couldn't even describe the pain, but she never wanted to remember it again. A hand grabbed her arm. Reyna slowly looked up. She tried wiping some of the blood from her eyes, but it didn't help much.

Wynris handed Reyna a duffel bag. She opened it to see her weapons and armor along with a shirt. Then, Wynris grabbed a handful of bandages.

"We need to talk to Iris," Reyna began. Wynris shook his head. He handed the bandages to her and pulled out another canteen. This one had water in it.

Wynris gently poured the canteen onto her face. Reyna slowly wiped the blood from her face. After that, Wynris walked out.

Reyna closed her eyes. She finally stood and pulled off her bloody and torn shirt. It took time for her to bandage the chest wound and stop her other wounds from bleeding. She painfully put the clean shirt on.

After that, Reyna dressed in her armor. She grabbed her helmet and stared at it. There was no way they were going to escape the prison without divine help. Reyna lowered the helmet as she ran a finger over it.

"Quirinus, I need your help," Reyna whispered. As nothing happened, she lowered the helmet and sighed. Someone clear their throat. Reyna turned quickly. She forced herself to a knee.

"It has been some time," Quirinus said. He helped her stand. "What do you want?"

"We need help," Reyna answered. "Hank and Larry can't lead the Romans out of this camp. They don't have the respect in battle to keep everyone from running. I can barely walk two feet without terrible pain, and they won't let me do anything to help."

Quirinus watched her for a long time. He finally spoke, "What is your offer?"

"The helmet that belonged to Hannibal Barca. It's legacy is something that only you deserve," Reyna responded. She held it out to him. "Please. We need all the help we can get."

Quirinus studied her and finally sighed. He took the helmet and placed two fingers to Reyna's temple. She stared but felt nothing different.

"There," Quirinus said. "That will fair you well in battle."

"Thank you," Reyna said after a moment. She felt no different. Reyna turned away as Quirinus disappeared. That was disappointing.

Reyna stepped out of the room and looked for Wynris. He was keeping a lookout. When his eyes focused on Reyna, he motioned for her to follow.

The two of them walked down a long hallway. Reyna found that most of her pain disappeared as she walked. She spoke, "How do you have the tattoo?"

"My father gave it to me as a reminder that I was warrior," Wynris responded. "We are not so different Roman."

"How do we get out of here?" Reyna questioned after a moment. "There's no way we can hold out here. It would take too long for the others to get here."

"You still want to break out," Wynris muttered. Reyna nodded. It was the only plan she had. "How do you know Metis won't have a plan to counter it?"

"I don't," Reyna answered. She rubbed her forehead. They stopped outside a door that had two guards. Both nodded to Wynris and stepped aside.

Reyna walked into the room. Her eyes focused on Iris. The goddess was in the middle on the room and on her knees. Her arms were in front of her in golden chains.

Reyna hurried towards the goddess. She unsheathed her sword and cut the restraints. Iris slowly looked up at her and spoke, "Reaper."

"I need an Iris message," Reyna began. "I need to send it to my sister, so we can bust everyone out."

"Do you not know the terms that Zeus has sent out?" Iris questioned. She slowly stood and stumbled. When Reyna went to help steady her, the goddess pulled away. "Anyone who helps you will face severe punishment."

"This isn't helping me," Reyna argued. "This is about sending a message to save all of the Greeks, Romans, and Hunters here. I'll go get someone else, so they can ask you to send the message. You have to help though."

"Helping them means helping you," Iris stated. Reyna stared at her. She tried to speak, but her voice wouldn't work. This couldn't be happening.

"Please," Reyna whispered.

"This is a battle that immortals will not interfere in. I am sorry," Iris said. She placed a hand on Reyna's shoulder. "I wish I could help."

Reyna pulled away from the goddess. She turned away and stormed out of the room. Reyna had saved all of their lives when she defeated Ouranos. It was always like that though. They wouldn't help her no matter what she did to help them.

Reyna made her way back to the cells. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. All she could do was stay focused on the task at hand.

The daughter of Bellona walked right for Annabeth who looked up at her in surprise. Reyna spoke, "The Iris message isn't going to happen."

"Why?" Annabeth questioned. Reyna shook her head and looked at the ground. How could she admit that she was the reason they wouldn't get backup? Annabeth would hate her even more.

"It's because no one trusts a traitor," Hank said. Reyna turned towards him and glared angrily. Larry stood by Hank's side. They were more than happy to get rid of her by exiling her.

"We shouldn't even be talking to her," Larry commented. He crossed his arms. The two Romans had no bruises or cuts on them. Everyone else looked like they had been beaten. Anger tore through Reyna's chest.

"You two complied with everything they wanted," Reyna said. "You were their little bitches, so you were left untouched. Are you really going to call me the traitor?"

"Shut up," Hank snapped. "You shouldn't even be allowed to speak. If it was possible, you would be killed for killing your father."

"I was protecting my sister," Reyna yelled. She knew that she had caught everyone's attention, but it didn't matter. The death of her father was not her fault.

"I thought she was dead, and I reacted. My father was not himself. He was a mania! I was protecting my sister because she is family. I will do anything to protect my family," Reyna said. She looked around at the Romans.

"We need to fight our way out. They won't suspect it. We have fifty barbarians that have weapons. They kill the other guards, so there is some weapons for us," Reyna began. She had to convince them.

"We are not going to listen to an exile," Larry said. Reyna looked at him. She wouldn't allow Larry to lead everyone to their deaths.

Reyna looked around at the Romans and spoke, "We have to fight out of here. If we do that, there is a chance for survival."

Reyna didn't wait to see their reaction. She turned towards Wynris and started to follow him away. Annabeth grabbed her arm.

"What's your plan?" Annabeth asked. Reyna looked at her. They both stared at each other for a moment. Annabeth gave her a small nod.

"We take any able fighter and commit to a surprise attack," Reyna answered. "There won't be that many barbarians awake. We do anything necessary."

Reyna felt a terrible spike of pain in her arm. She stumbled and gripped her arm. It hurt terribly. Annabeth glanced at her in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Annabeth whispered.

"I don't know," Reyna whispered back. She didn't dare take off her armor to see her tattoo. All she could do was ignore it.

"We need to plan this out," Annabeth began. She looked at Hank and Larry. "Are you two coming?"

"We're staying," Hank answered. Reyna shook her head angrily. They couldn't afford it. "You don't have a voice in this."

"They will die because of you," Reyna protested. She heard three pair of footsteps behind her. Reyna turned and stared at three Hunters.

"A lot of people die because of you," one of the Hunters snapped. Reyna didn't even look at them. Her mind was remembering the Hunters she had killed. Someone shoved her.

"You can beat the crap out of me later," Reyna muttered. "I did what I thought was best."

"It wasn't," a Hunter snapped. She punched Reyna hard in the face. Reyna fell back and felt the scar on her lip reopen. She placed a hand to her lip.

"Stop!" Annabeth yelled. "We can't afford to be divided. We must work together."

Reyna placed a hand to her lip. She stood and looked at the Hunters. They glared at her hatefully. That was okay though. They should hate her.

"If we ever see you after this, you're dead," one of the Hunters promised. They motioned for Annabeth to follow them. Reyna stared at the ground and sighed.

Hank shoved past her to follow the others. Reyna sighed and walked towards Wynris. He was whispering frantically to one of his Huns. Reyna spoke, "What's wrong?"

"We have a big problem," Wynris answered. Reyna wanted to tell him they had a lot of problems. She focused on Wynris and waited. The barbarian sighed tiredly. "Thoon is here."

"The giant?" Reyna asked. Wynris nodded. "Thoon. The giant that is destined to kill the Fates is here. I thought he died."

"He was cast back into Tartarus, but the killing blow was not between a god and a demigod. He has been alive and gathering strength," Wynris answered. "And, that's not the worst part. He is looking for you."


	27. The Best Laid Plans

Annabeth glanced at the watch that one of the campers had smuggled in. It was three in the morning. They had taken a few hours to plan their attack and get everyone ready. Now, they would strike.

The hope was that the barbarians would be too weary from sleep to mount a counterattack. Wynris had carved an outline of the camp into a wall. Annabeth had examined it twenty times already.

The prison was in the middle of the camp. Twenty feet to the east and west were the barracks for the barbarians. To the north, there was the building that held everyone's personal items. The south had offices.

Reyna was standing by her side. She had told Annabeth about Thoon. Sooner or later, the giant would know that Reyna was missing.

"We need to get moving," Reyna muttered. She glanced around, but they had enough space to talk quietly. "We've wasted too much time."

"I know," Annabeth said. "They don't trust you though."

"I don't care," Reyna snapped. "I am going to deal with Thoon."

"Reyna, he will kill you," Annabeth hissed. She grabbed Reyna's arm. "I do not care if you are the champion of Atropos. He is the bane of the Fates and destined to kill them."

"Then, I kill him first," Reyna muttered.

"You can't," Annabeth snapped. "Reyna, you don't have to take him on by yourself."

"No one else is going to die because of me," Reyna whispered. She looked like she wanted to raise her voice but couldn't. "Too many people have died because I haven't been strong or smart enough."

"That's not what happened," Annabeth said. She stared at Reyna. The daughter of Bellona looked at her with tears in her eyes.

"They all died because of me, and I can't let it happen anymore. If I can stop Thoon, the casualties will be less," Reyna explained.

"Reyna, you won't be able to kill him alone," Annabeth said. "You and I both know it has to be the three champions. Going alone is suicide. Don't throw your life away."

Reyna fell silent. She leaned on the wall. Annabeth looked back at the watch. She was waiting for the Greeks to give her the go ahead.

As Annabeth looked back up, she saw that Reyna was gone. Annabeth ran out of the room and looked down the hall. Reyna was nowhere in sight.

"Damn it," Annabeth snapped. She hurried down the hallway and only saw a few Greeks putting on armor.

Annabeth closed her eyes. This was not something she could afford. Annabeth felt someone grab her arm.

"We need to move," Wynris said. Annabeth glanced at the barbarian and nodded once. He watched her before walking away. Annabeth stood there for a moment and thought.

There was a good chance that the plan would go south. She needed to be prepared, but she didn't know what to say. The Greeks that had been putting on armor looked at her. Annabeth led them towards their mini army.

Hank and Larry were both arguing. A Hunter that Annabeth didn't know the name of was standing off to the side. The Hunters that didn't have any broken bones were ready to go. Annabeth knew that magic allowed them to have their bows. She only wished that they had arrows.

"This plan is insane," Hank hissed. "We are going to get ourselves killed by listening to a traitor."

"I agree, but you aren't offering anything different," Larry snapped. He rubbed his temples. "A traitor should not be telling Romans what to do."

"Then, you should step down," Reyna said as she appeared behind Annabeth. The daughter of Athena whirled around and looked at her. Reyna just watched the two Romans in front of her.

"What did you say?" Larry hissed.

"Bribery is the crime of a traitor," Reyna replied. Her gaze turned towards Hank. "Accepting bribes is as well."

Reyna looked at Annabeth. There was something new in her eyes, but it was hard to identify. Annabeth spoke, "You three must work together."

"There is no working together," Hank snapped. He almost sounded desperate. "We do not need a liar to spread lies about us."

"I'll be keeping Akil from killing you two," Reyna said. She kept her voice calm and placed a hand to her sword handle. "Annabeth, if you need me during the battle, yell for me."

Annabeth grabbed Reyna's arm. She led her away and spoke, "What are you doing?"

"I can't take on Thoon by myself, but I have to kill Akil. Your job is to get them out of here. Larry and Hank are useless in battle. Trust me," Reyna answered.

"Reyna, we need to talk," Annabeth began. She led her to an isolated part of the room. "I know I said a lot of stuff."

"I deserve it," Reyna said. Annabeth glanced at her in surprise. The daughter of Bellona looked away. "I did terrible stuff, and I don't deserve to just have a free pass. For now, we focus on the mission."

"We focus on the mission," Annabeth agreed after a moment. She looked around and frowned. There was something wrong.

As Annabeth looked around, the realization hit her like a brick. She didn't know the location of Chiron or Leo. Where could they be? Annabeth looked around for a barbarian. One was talking to a Hunter.

Annabeth walked towards the barbarian. She grabbed his arm and spoke, "Where is Leo at?"

"Who?" the barbarian asked. He looked at her confused. Annabeth quickly described Leo. The barbarian held up a finger and hurried towards someone else. They started talking.

When the barbarian came back, he looked as if he had a headache. The barbarian spoke, "Your friend is not here. He escaped."

"Escaped?" Annabeth questioned.

"There was a few Greeks that managed to escape when we were transporting them. We did not have the man power to find them," the barbarian explained. Annabeth looked down. Where would the Greeks be?

"We need to focus on the attack," Annabeth decided. The barbarian scoffed like that was obvious. He tried to hide it with a cough.

"Was Chiron with them?" Reyna questioned from behind Annabeth. The daughter of Athena glanced behind her. Reyna watched them intently.

"The centaur? He is here," the barbarian replied. Annabeth frowned. She knew that Chiron had gone to get help from the party ponies. It wasn't good that he had been captured.

"I'll find him," Reyna promised. As she turned away, Annabeth grabbed her.

"You need to led the Romans," Annabeth corrected. Reyna looked at her in surprise. "They still believe in you. Trust me on that."

Reyna spoke, "What about Chiron?"

"Wynris can find him," Annabeth promised. Reyna sighed but nodded. She looked off in the distance seemingly lost in thought. Annabeth did as well.

Annabeth didn't know where she stood with Reyna. At the moment, they were being forced to work together. Sooner or later, they would have to sit down and talk.

Reyna looked down at herself and suddenly tensed. She turned and threw Annabeth to the ground. An arrow hit the wall right where Annabeth's head had been, and the wall exploded.

The room plunged into chaos. Some of the barbarians turned on their friends and started attacking. More barbarians plunged into the room using the doorway.

Annabeth was pulled to her feet. She barely managed to unsheathe her sword. Her ears were ringing, and she was definitely stunned.

"This wasn't the plan," Annabeth wheezed.

"The best laid plans often go awry. Now, we need to leave," Reyna hissed. She pulled Annabeth towards the hole in the wall and shoved her outside. Annabeth slowly looked around.

They were outside now. It was also chaos. Huns were attacking other barbarians. Annabeth saw some of them were staring at the hole in shock and confusion. She felt sick as she realized that the arrow had been meant for her head.

Annabeth didn't have anymore time to freak out. She dodged a barbarian's attack and jabbed forward. There wasn't any time for her to think. All Annabeth could do was attack.

Through the fighting, Annabeth could hear their mini army joining them. She heard someone trying to give out orders. It was chaos.

An arrow flew by her face, and Annabeth saw archers on the wall. As one of the archers was grabbing an arrow, a javelin slammed into their throat and knocked them off the wall.

"We need to get to the gates," Reyna said breathlessly. Annabeth glanced behind her and nodded. She deflected a barbarian's sword. Annabeth saw one of the Greeks picking up fallen weapons and hurrying back through the hole in the wall.

Reyna suddenly stiffened. Annabeth turned to see what Reyna was staring at. For a moment, she forgot how to breath. The creature in front of her was magnificent.

"A Griffin," Reyna whispered. The Griffin had the body of a lion with reddish-gold fur, but it was twice the size of a lion. There was feathers on its tail, and wings on its back.

A figure sat on the Griffin. He spun a scythe in his hands and stared at Reyna. The daughter of Bellona stepped forward and glared.

"He's baiting you," Annabeth warned. She deflected a sword that was aimed for Reyna's back. After stabbing the barbarian, she looked back at Reyna.

"I am the only one who can kill him," Reyna said. She seemed to make up her mind. Before Annabeth could protest, a new wave of barbarians attacked them. Annabeth didn't have any time to think.

Annabeth allowed battle instincts to take over. She ducked, dodged, and rolled away from attacks. The plan was to stay light on her feet and deliver as much damage as possible.

In contrast, Reyna stood her ground. She used her shield or sword to block attacks and kill barbarians. Reyna would also glance up at Akil every so often. Thankfully, most of her attention seemed to be on the fight.

After minutes, Annabeth noticed the tides were turning. More Greeks and Romans were joining the battle. Reyna glanced at Annabeth and nodded. She disengaged herself from the battle and easily disappeared from sight.

Annabeth took a deep breath and called a rallying cry for the Greeks. They had to form some kind of defensive line. Annabeth glanced around one more time for the giant Thoon. He wasn't there, but she had a bad feeling that he was just lying in wait for the perfect moment.


	28. The Bane of the Fates

Reyna pulled herself onto Scipio. After using her whistle, it had only taken a few moments for the Pegasus to land in front of her. Reyna looked up at the sky and watched Akil. A shaky breath left her as Scipio took off, and her eyes closed involuntarily.

She did her best to not think of the battle below. There was no telling how it would turn out. Reyna had to focus on killing Akil. It was the only thing she could do. She forced her eyes open.

As Scipio came face to face with the Griffin, Reyna studied Akil. He looked refreshed and ready to go. Reyna was exhausted, but that didn't matter.

"Ready Scipio?" Reyna whispered. Her Pegasus seemed to nod slightly. Reyna looked at Akil and watched him. Her attention turned on the Griffin.

"This is the battle I have been waiting for," Akil commented. He flipped his scythe in his hands. Reyna gripped her sword in her left hand. She tried to grip her shield with her right hand.

Akil snapped something in another language. His Griffin zoomed towards them. As time slowed, Reyna blocked one of Akil's blows. In the back of her mind, she knew that Akil's scythe gave him a longer range.

Reyna jabbed forward, but it was blocked. She ducked under another blow and felt Scipio roll away. Her breath left her for a moment. Reyna felt herself freeze as she saw how high up they were.

For a moment, Reyna was having a flashback to when she had been knocked off of Olympus. Scipio had saved her life. The memory left Reyna frozen in place.

A scythe passed by Reyna's face. That snapped her back to her senses. She raised her shield to block another attack. Akil tried hooking onto her shield, but Reyna managed to cut his hand.

Akil leaned away, and Reyna didn't see his weapon. She then saw the scythe an inch from Scipio's face. Reyna threw herself forward and brought down her sword to block it.

The Griffin suddenly pulled away and turned. As Reyna was trying to sit back up, she felt one of the razor sharp feathers cut right above her eye. A shield slammed into her face.

Reyna instinctively attacked. She felt metal hit metal. Blood trickled into her eye, but Reyna just focused on fighting. For a few moments, the two were engaged in brutal and close combat. Then, the Griffin pulled away.

"You okay?" Reyna whispered to Scipio. He didn't seem hurt. That was good. She wiped some of the blood from her face. Her attention then turned back towards Akil.

"Bring it," Akil hissed. He yelled a war cry and charged. As he did, Scipio rolled over. With one hand, Reyna gripped the saddle. Her other hand had the sword which was used to stab the Griffin in the belly. When they were back upright, Reyna took a deep breath.

Akil looked at the blood on her sword. He urged the Griffin towards Scipio. Reyna blocked his attack, but the scythe hooked onto her shield. Akil pushed her shield away and slammed his shield into the cut on her forehead.

Reyna felt the cut bust open even more. She felt the scythe cut into her leg. A cry of pain left her lips. Reyna didn't want to know how bad the damage was.

It felt like bone and muscle had been torn into. Akil punched her hard in the face. His elbow slammed into her head. The blow completely stunned Reyna.

Scipio automatically pulled away, but it didn't do much to help them. The Griffin picked up speed and slammed into them. Reyna cried out as the Griffin's full weight slammed into her injured knee.

Akil slammed a dagger into her knee. He twisted it and grabbed her face. Akil spoke, "How far of a fall do you think it is?"

"You tell me," Reyna hissed. She stabbed him in the stomach and twisted her sword. Akil stabbed his scythe into her side. Reyna knew the scythe had torn through her ribs, and her lung had been hit.

"What's the point of that armor if it doesn't protect you?" Akil taunted. He twisted the scythe. Reyna cried out in agony as Akil tore the scythe out of her side. She tore her sword out of his stomach.

"It seems we are at an impasse," Akil commented. Reyna moved her hand to her side. Her breath wouldn't come back.

"Will you shut up?" Reyna hissed. A glance down showed that Akil didn't have a saddle, and the sight of the ground sent more panic through her. Reyna's hand gripped her own saddle as she tried to calm down. Scipio and the Griffin were inches apart. Their wings were brushing.

Without thinking, Reyna stabbed the Griffin in its knee. The creature roared in pain. Akil brought his scythe down to hit Scipio. Reyna blocked it.

"You're going to die today. All of your friends are going to die," Akil hissed. Reyna shoved him away but was forced to block another attack.

Reyna attacked, but it was blocked. Akil attacked, and Reyna dodged. For a minute, the two of them had a furious battle. It ended when Akil hooked his scythe onto her shield and forced her arm to the side.

Akil slammed his shield into her face and glanced down at his injured Griffin. He didn't seem too concerned. Before Reyna could raise her sword, Akil slammed his head into hers.

The movement stunned Reyna. She felt Akil tear her shield from her hand and throw it away. Reyna tried to attack only to get disarmed. She saw double as her sword fell to the ground.

Akil slammed the blunt end of his scythe into the cut on Reyna's forehead. Reyna was too stunned to do anything as Akil cut her left stirrup.

Akil smirked and slammed into Reyna. The Arimaspi's weight knocked Reyna off of Scipio. She felt her ankle twist in the remaining stirrup. It only took a moment for the stirrup to snap under their combined weight.

Reyna saw the ground rushing to meet her, and she barely managed to turn enough to land on her shoulder. The only thing she felt after that was shattering pain in her shoulder. Reyna closed her eyes tightly and tried not to think about the pain she was in. After too long, she managed to open her eyes without wanting to throw up.

Reyna tried to move her left leg only to feel agonizing pain. A glance to the right showed that her sword was a few feet away. Reyna turned on her back and looked around.

Akil was slowly trying to get to his feet. They were the only two on the top of the wall. The fight below them sounded like it was still going. Reyna turned on her stomach and slowly crawled towards her weapon.

As Reyna's hand closed around her sword, someone stepped on her hand. Reyna looked up and stared. The man in front of her was twice the size of any mortal.

The man had ratty, grey hair and milky eyes. His face was extremely wrinkled. The most surprising part was his dragon scale legs. Reyna knew that it was the giant Thoon.

Thoon grabbed the sword and studied it. The sword didn't seem to burn him. Thoon pulled Reyna to her knees.

Reyna cried out as she was stabbed in the ribs. Her breath left her completely. It was the same place where Akil had stabbed her. Thoon tore the sword out of her side and stabbed her in the stomach. He grabbed her face.

"I need you alive," Thoon whispered. "The reaper would be most valuable to me."

"Not. Helping," Reyna wheezed. Her world was spinning, and she felt sick. Reyna just wanted the pain to stop. Thoon seemed to read her thoughts.

"I am the only one that can help you," Thoon hissed. He twisted the sword. "I can destroy the Fates and take their power. Do you know what I will do with it?"

"I can bring back all of those dead Romans. I can bring back everyone who died because of you," Thoon continued. "I can bring back your father."

"The dead are gone," Reyna muttered. She spat out blood. Thoon shoved her to the ground. Reyna laid there and slowly placed two hands to the sword. Her eyes focused on Thoon.

As soon as the giant had turned his back, Reyna bit her tongue and pulled the sword out of her stomach. It left her feeling sick and nauseous. She didn't have the strength to stand.

"Let me kill her," Akil hissed. Reyna glanced up and watched them. Thoon was holding Akil back with one hand.

"The reaper is valuable, and we need her. You know that," Thoon hissed. Akil finally nodded. He turned to watch the battle. Thoon did as well.

Reyna rolled on her back and gripped her sword. She was in horrific pain. Akil suddenly walked towards her and grabbed her neck. He slammed her into a wall.

"Let her go," Thoon ordered. He didn't take a step forward and almost seemed like he wanted to watch everything play out.

"No. I am destined to kill her," Akil snapped. He turned towards Thoon. "I have given everything up for you."

Reyna fell to her hands and knees as Akil let go of her. Her right hand slowly grabbed her sword. She forced herself to stand and stab Akil in the back.

Akil snarled in pain and anger. Reyna tore her sword out and stumbled backwards. When she tried to duck under Akil's scythe, the pain sent her to her knees. Reyna stabbed upward.

Her sword was blocked and knocked away. Akil's scythe slammed into her forehead. Reyna fell back. Instincts caused her to reach inside her pocket and grab the brass knuckles. She pulled the brass knuckles out of her pocket and pressed the button on the side.

Akil's scythe slammed into her shield. He snarled in pain and anger. Reyna looked at Thoon. The giant didn't seem worried, and that pissed Reyna off.

Reyna used the last of her strength to kick Akil in his leg. His knee gave out on him, and Reyna stabbed upwards. Her sword went into his chest and out his back.

The response was a knee driving into her ribs. Reyna saw red and almost passed out. Akil dug his knee into her side and dropped his scythe. He grabbed onto her sword only to hiss in pain as his hands burned.

Reyna tried grabbing his scythe. She gripped it and swung the scythe. Akil gasped as it hit his neck. Reyna threw Akil off of her.

Before Reyna could scramble backwards, Thoon grabbed her arm and pulled her up. He slammed his head into hers. Reyna fell back stunned. She saw double of everything.

"Let me end her," Akil hissed. He had slowly gotten to his feet. Akil pulled the sword out of his chest. His foot slammed into Reyna's ribs.

"Stop!" Thoon hissed. "This is not our plan."

Reyna listened to the sound of burning flesh that she knew was Akil's hand. She tried to scrounge up her strength. No more would come.

"We stand at the edge of change," Thoon said to Akil. "You are going to listen to me."

"We do stand at the edge of change," Akil agreed. He grabbed Reyna by her neck and pulled her up. Reyna felt the sword being placed to her throat. She glared at him. "I am going to be the reason that Fate falls."

"You're wrong," Reyna hissed. She grabbed her sword with her right hand. Her left hand grabbed Akil's face. Reyna spoke a word in ancient Greek, and fire appeared in her hand.

Akil howled in pain and let go of her. Reyna flipped her sword in her hand and decapitated Akil. She stared as his lifeless body fell with a sickening thud. Thoon seemed as shocked as her.

Reyna's shock ended as she felt Thoon grab her arm and snap it. She dropped her sword and fell to her knees. Thoon grabbed her face and practically crushed her jaw. He spoke, "You just have a way of ruining plans."

"Guess what? No one is going to save you now," Thoon hissed. He looked at Akil but suddenly smiled. "I think you would make a good replacement for him."

"Never," Reyna whispered. Her voice sounded weak even to her. Thoon grabbed her sword. There was the sound of burning skin, but it didn't even seem to bother the giant. Reyna felt blinding pain in her shoulder as she was stabbed once again by her own sword.

Thoon punched her hard in the face. Reyna would have collapsed if the giant didn't grab her uninjured shoulder. Thoon tore the sword out of her shoulder, dropped it to the ground, and threw her into a wall. He spoke, "Fate will lie broken at my feet, and I will rule all. Is that understood?"

Reyna collapsed to the ground and didn't respond. All she wanted to do was pass out. Her hand finally reached out and grabbed her sword. She found enough strength to scramble to her feet, lung forward, and desperately stab Thoon in the chest.

The giant simply laughed and backhanded her. Reyna fell to the ground as it felt like she had gotten hit by a truck. She felt Thoon pick her up and pull the sword out of his chest. He smirked and stabbed her in the chest.

"I cannot wait to kill Atropos," Thoon whispered. He twisted the sword ever so slightly. "That is why they call me the bane of the Fates. I am destined to kill them."

"Why?" Reyna choked out. She couldn't finish her sentence, but Thoon seemed to understand.

"Why haven't I already done it?" Thoon questioned. His only answer was a laugh, but his eyes moved to her sword. Reyna tried to grab her sword. Thoon simply twisted it. Reyna didn't have the strength to do anything but lose her grip on the sword.

Thoon looked to his right. He spoke, "Interesting."

Reyna couldn't even lift her head to see what Thoon was looking at. He tore the sword out of Reyna's chest and threw her to the ground. The daughter of Bellona stared at the sky. She saw a bird that should have been flying overhead, but it seemed to be frozen.

"Atropos. It is such a pleasure," Thoon hissed. "Have you come to save your little reaper? Or, is she close to breaking? Maybe, she's beyond that point."

"Where are your sisters?" Thoon continued. Reyna slowly turned her head. She stared at Atropos. The Fate calmly stood across from them. "Do they want you to die first?"

"Leave her alone," Reyna wheezed. She knew she should have passed out a long time ago, and that was all she wanted to do. Thoon turned towards her and laughed. He walked towards her and stabbed the sword into her knee.

"What are you going to do?" Thoon wondered. Reyna looked at Atropos pleadingly. She was seeing double and red at the same time. "I think your reaper is close to breaking."

"If you want to kill me, I am right here," Atropos said. "If you continue to waste my time, I could just leave."

"And, you would prove that you are a coward," Thoon hissed. He pulled the sword out of Reyna's knee and walked forward. Reyna wanted to sit up, but she couldn't even move.

Thoon suddenly stopped. He turned his head and dropped Reyna's sword in surprise. The giant stepped backwards and spoke, "This was a crafty trap, but it does not matter. I will have the reaper join my side. Do not doubt that."

Reyna looked away as the giant disappeared. She glanced at Atropos who walked towards her. The Fate spoke, "Hang in there. Help is coming."

"Why did he run?" Reyna slowly asked. She closed her eye and tried to ignore the pain. "And, why haven't I passed out?"

"He believes that three champions are here," Atropos replied. She placed a hand to Reyna's forehead and ignored the second question. "You're burning up. Do not speak anymore."

Reyna didn't need to be told twice. She finally just laid her head back and slowly started to close her eyes. Someone knelt next to her.

"Gods, what happened to you?" Annabeth whispered. Reyna slowly looked at her. She didn't even try to fight her eyes as they were closing. Reyna didn't know how she was still conscious, but she was ready to pass out.

"The battle will be won once the barbarians see Akil's body. They will retreat," Atropos said. Annabeth glanced at her and seemed to not have any fear. Atropos said something, but Reyna couldn't make sense of it.

Atropos placed two fingers to Reyna's temple and gave her a small nod. Most of the pain melted away. Reyna closed her eyes and slowly fell into a peaceful sleep.


	29. Man's Folly

Reyna looked around the dark room she was in. There was a desk in front of her that had a candle that was practically gone. It gave off a small amount of light. Reyna closed her eyes tightly.

She had no clue where she was. The good thing was that she wasn't in pain. That meant she was having a dream. Reyna opened her eyes and jumped. Atropos was sitting right in front of her.

"Reaper," Atropos greeted. Reyna stared at her.

"Where am I?" Reyna questioned. She stood and tried to get use to the dark.

"Do you remember what Metis told you so long ago?" Atropos wondered. "She approached you in a dream that took place in a library."

"It feels like it has been awhile," Reyna admitted. She looked around the library and tried to think. "I don't remember honestly."

"Knowledge is power," Atropos said. She stood and started to walk away. "Come."

"Where are we going?" Reyna questioned as she took a step towards the Fate.

"To get you some power," Atropos responded. She left the room. After a moment, Reyna stepped out of the room. She had a million questions running through her mind.

"Where are we?" Reyna asked. Atropos didn't respond and walked down a long, dark hallway. It seemed like the candles had been burning for hours.

Reyna stopped as she reached a wide open room. All breath left her. There was four men standing in front of her. Three of them wore robes like they were bishops. The fourth one was shirtless.

One of the bishops held a dagger in his hands. Reyna felt a panic attack coming. It was the same one that Akil had stabbed her with. The sight of it made her sick to her stomach.

"Take a deep breath," Atropos said. "You must pay attention to this."

"This plague is spreading, and we can do nothing," the bishop with the knife hissed. "This is a punishment from God. He needs for us to atone for our sins."

"And, you are crazy," another bishop hissed. "We cannot save the world by destroying it!"

"That is what God wants us to do," the first promised. "We atone for our sins by wiping out all sin. This is how we make up for man's folly."

"This dagger is a myth from the ancient times," the third interrupted. He was the smallest and most frail.

"Does this look like a myth?" the first demanded as he waved the dagger around. He turned and stabbed it into the man's chest. The man gasped in agony and closed his eyes tightly.

The two other bishops ran forward in shock. The first tore the dagger out and waved it around. Reyna noticed that the dagger had lost all of its color.

"The dagger that you had been stabbed with looked like that. You would not have seen it though,"  
Atropos commented.

"I know," Reyna muttered. She remembered the pain for a moment and had to swallow painfully to avoid throwing up. "I remember every second of it."

Reyna looked back at the man. He was taking deep breaths. The man stood, and the other bishops gasped as if they couldn't believe he was alive.

"We can do this ritual," the first bishop insisted. "His spirit is strong enough to handle it. We can bring back Chaos. It will cleanse the world of sin, and those who are pure will start anew."

"Chaos," Reyna repeated as she looked back at Atropos. "They want Chaos back?"

"These bishops were unsuccessful only because the Black Death got to them first. That dagger is a test, but man has always twisted devices to their means. You must understand that," Atropos answered.

"The dagger is a test to see if someone can survive Chaos using them as a vessel?" Reyna questioned. She closed her eyes feeling ready to throw up. Reyna saw all of the pieces falling into place. She laid her head against the wall and took deep breaths.

"Metis wants me as a vessel," Reyna whispered. She closed her eyes.

"When you survived Kronos using you as a vessel and even removed his soul from your body, Metis knew she had made the right choice. The dagger was simply a paranoid woman's final test," Atropos responded. "If Chaos uses you as a vessel, it is the end of the world."

Reyna shook her head. She slowly opened her eyes and sat against the wall. Reyna buried her head in her hands. There was nothing she could do.

"You must fight," Atropos said. "They cannot get their hands on you. Metis cannot have her way."

"Does Thoon want this as well?" Reyna questioned.

"No," Atropos replied. "Only Metis."

Reyna lifted her head and stared ahead. She needed to stay focused. That was all she could do at this point. Reyna spoke in a bitter tone, "Anything else I should know about?"

"There is a dragon that will soon attack the demititans' base," Atropos stated. Reyna stared at her and found herself at a loss for words. Atropos watched her and snapped her fingers.

Reyna gasped as she opened her eyes. Her hand shot forward, but someone grabbed her arm and pinned it. She was in too much pain to even think properly.

"Calm down,"a voice whispered. "Just calm down and try to breath. The medicine will kick in soon."

It took all of Reyna's strength just to turn her head. She met Annabeth's eyes. After a moment, Reyna could feel how badly Annabeth's hand was shaking. The daughter of Athena looked like she was going to have a panic attack.

"You scared the crap out of me," Annabeth whispered. Reyna tensed as she felt someone grab her injured leg. Everything turned red for a few moments. "Stay with me."

"How long?" Reyna whispered. Her voice was barely there. She was using almost all of her strength to stay conscious.

"Save your strength," Annabeth ordered. "You've only been unconscious for a hour. We had to restart your heart. That's what woke you up."

Reyna closed her eyes tightly. If they had to restart her heart, that meant she was clinically dead. She remembered what Atropos had said though. Someone would die in her place. With her injuries, there was a good chance it would be multiple people.

"We need more blood," another voice said. Reyna forced her eyes open, but she could only see Annabeth's face.

"If we're matches, you can take mine," Annabeth offered. Reyna wanted to protest, but she didn't have the strength. There was only one reason that she was conscious.

"Annabeth, we need to talk," Reyna whispered. Annabeth glanced at her and opened her mouth. "Stop. It's important."

"What is it?" Annabeth finally asked. She placed a hand to Reyna's head. "You're burning up."

"They need to leave the demititans' base," Reyna began.

"They?" Annabeth questioned. She laid a wet towel on Reyna's forehead. "Who needs to leave?"

"Everyone," Reyna whispered. She could feel the pain melting away. It was replaced by a numbness that she hoped belong to whatever medicine they had given her.

"Why does everyone need to leave?" Annabeth asked. Her tone sounded confused. Reyna tried keepign her eyes open, but they slowly closed. She finally just allowed herself to start drifting into unconsciousness. "Reyna, you have to stay with me for a few more moments."

"Dragon," Reyna mumbled.

"Drakon?" Annabeth questioned. "A drakon is going to attack?"

"Dragon," Reyna repeated. "The big, scary flying things."

"I don't think they exist," Annabeth said. "Are you sure?"

"Atropos told me," Reyna mumbled. "There's another base. Sarah might know. Prometheus would as well."

Reyna's eyes opened for a moment. She focused on Annabeth's face. Her eyes finally closed, and she slowly fell into another dream. She was on a boat this time.

Three people stood with her. One of them seemed to be a woman. It was impossible to see her face because she wore a balaclava. The woman also wore a jacket. Reyna knew that she had armor under it.

The man driving the boat was different. He wore the uniform of the Italian military. His hair was a cropped blond, and he had hazel eyes. Reyna studied him for a few moments.

The third one slipped on a balaclava before Reyna could catch their face. They nodded and dove into the water. As the woman turned, the man grabbed her arm and spoke, "Stay safe Arcadia."

"Tyre, you know that I always am," the woman muttered. She dove into the water. Reyna glanced at the boat that they were on. She watched it speed towards a cruise ship.

Tyre took a deep breath and stopped his boat in front of the cruise ship. Reyna glanced up and saw Percy and Gwen leaning against the railing. Their cruise ship suddenly stopped.

Gwen stared down at the man. She looked ready to throw up. Reyna winced as she remembered that Gwen had always been seasick.

Tyre stepped forward and spoke in rapid Italian. He started pointing to the cruise ship and making exaggerated hand motions. Gwen and Percy stared at Tyre, looked at each other, and just started staring again.

"We don't speak Italian," Percy said. Tyre stared at them and tilted his head. He seemed to be a pretty good actor. Tyre placed a hand to his earpiece and started to speak in Italian.

Reyna blinked, and she was suddenly standing on the ship. The first thing she saw was Arcadia holding daggers to Gwen's neck. One dagger rested against Gwen's trachea, and the other was behind her neck.

"What brings you here Greek?" Arcadia hissed. Her eyes were staring at Percy. "You have five second to answer, or I kill your friend."

Reyna wished she could do something to help them. All she could do was watch helplessly. Percy had his sword unsheathed. When Arcadia drew a small amount of blood by dragging her dagger across Gwen's neck, Percy lowered his sword.

"Here," Percy said. He dropped his sword and kicked it towards Arcadia. "Just let her go."

"Where is the daughter of Bellona?" Arcadia questioned.

"Not here," Gwen replied. "She was injured, so I came in her place."

Reyna saw Sally walking towards them. Behind her, the other person was leading Jacob and had a sword to his neck. Sally looked Percy in the eyes and nodded slightly as if to reassure him that she was fine.

"Are you the Legio VI Ferrata?" Gwen wondered.

"Yes," Arcadia answered. "Thebes will watch your ship while you four come with us."

Gwen nodded. She seemed to understand that they would pay with their lives if they disobeyed. Arcadia lowered her daggers and shoved Gwen towards the edge of the ship.

"So, what is the daughter of Bellona like?" the other figure asked. It sounded like a man but younger than the other two.

"I guess you're asking about Reyna and not Hylla," Jacob began. Arcadia had a hand on the railing. She quickly turned and stared at them.

"There are two of them?" Arcadia demanded. When Gwen nodded, Arcadia closed her eyes. "Children of Bellona are rare. They can make or break empires. Two daughters of Bellona at the same time is unfathomable. Do they have the same father?"

Reyna closed her eyes at the mention of her father. All she remembered was seeing him in the underworld. She forced her eyes open and watched the scene in front of her.

"Yes," Sally answered. Arcadia closed her eyes. She turned away and jumped off of the ship. Reyna looked at Sally and watched her.

"I guess we follow," Percy muttered protectively. He grabbed Sally's hand and walked towards the edge of the ship. Reyna stepped forward to follow them, but she felt a presence behind her.

"You can rest now," a new voice said. Reyna turned and looked at Bellona. Her mother grabbed her arm. "I won't be able to lend you anymore strength."

"Thank you for all that you gave me," Reyna said. She stared at her mother. "I wouldn't have been able to survive those wars without it."

"You would have," Bellona promised. She smiled slightly. "Now, you need to rest. You have a large challenge coming. For now, the others can handle everything else."

Reyna nodded. She suddenly hugged her mom. After a moment, Bellona hugged her back. Reyna closed her eyes as the dream slipped away.


	30. Legio VI Ferrata

Gwen knew that Romans excelled at feasts, but this was something different. They were inside a large, dark room. The only real light came from candles on the table. Food covered every inch of table, and there was barely any room for the plates.

The Romans were all laughing and eating, but the dim light obscured their faces. It added a sinister element to the dinner. Gwen glanced at the only empty seat in the room.

Arcadia sat on the right of the seat. Tyre sat on the left. It was easy to assume that the seat belonged to the leader. Gwen only wondered where they were.

Gwen tensed as Arcadia met her eyes. Arcadia had made it extremely clear that she did not like the Greeks. She refused to talk to Percy once they set foot on land. Gwen was pretty sure that Sally had only been talked to because she was one of the champions.

Sally was taking everything in stride. Even though this wasn't her normal life, she didn't seem surprised that everyone had a weapon. Gwen was pretty proud of Sally and the progress she had been making.

Gwen focused on checking the food for poison before she ate it. Surprisingly, Lupa had taught her the skill. Gwen was more than glad for it because it had saved her life twice before.

"Where is he?" Tyre whispered as he moved closer to Arcadia. Gwen looked in their direction and watched the two. Arcadia met her eyes, and she didn't answer the question.

"We don't need him here to pass judgment," Arcadia suddenly said. It was loud enough for everyone to hear, and all conversation died instantly.

"We know that we have to go to America and help," Tyre interrupted.

"Should we?" Arcadia demanded. "They are working with Greeks."

"The champions cannot be abandoned!" Tyre snapped as he stood. Everyone at the table jumped in surprise. From the single hour that they spent together, Gwen knew that Tyre was a soft spoken man.

Arcadia gave him a sharp look. Tyre snapped something in Italian, and the entire table tensed. Arcadia stood and stormed out without another word.

"I am sorry for that," Tyre said as he looked at Gwen and the others. Tyre sat down. "Continue."

"I don't like this," Percy whispered. "Where is the leader? We need to get moving."

"It would be disrespectful to not eat," Sally said. "Let's just eat and figure out after."

Percy relaxed slightly. He had been slightly hostile towards Gwen, but she couldn't blame him. He was stressed about his mother, and there was also the giant war that was taking place.

Gwen finished eating. She glanced at Jacob who was eating in awe. He kept staring at some of the Romans, and some of his drink would slide down his chin. It seemed like Jacob was star stuck.

As everyone finished eating, Gwen noticed how the candles had not gone down at all. They almost seemed like magic.

Gwen leaned back in her seat and missed the weight of her weapon at her side. The Romans had confiscated anything sharp and pointy right before they put the blindfolds on. It had not been the best of days.

All conversation suddenly stopped. Gwen looked up and stared. A man was standing at the door. The lack of light made him seem more like a shadow than a man. As he stepped closer, Gwen's breath was taken away.

The man seemed to be in his sixties. He had a balding head, but any hair he had was black. The most attention catching thing was his black eyes. The man spoke, "Ave. You must be our guests. Come."

Gwen looked at her friends and slowly stood. She followed the man out of the room. Reyna had not told her anything about the trip to Rome.

Percy stayed close to his mom. Jacob was trying to speak, but he was stuttering too badly to understand. The man glanced at Jacob and spoke, "Find your nerve. It will not do to be frightened by someone you do not know. I could be an enemy, and I could use this against you."

"Are you an enemy?" Percy questioned.

"Only to barbarians," the man commented. He led them to another room. The only thing in the room was a large table surrounded by chairs. One of those chairs had a sulking Arcadia in it.

"Should they know?" Arcadia muttered.

"They are allies," the man commented. "We always exchange information with allies. It is a sign of trust. I will start. My name is Julius Caesar."

Gwen stared at the man. She slowly spoke, "The Julius Caesar? The Roman dictator who conquered Gaul?"

"The very same," Caesar answered with a smile. "It is a long and complicated story, but the simple answer is that I am connected to Rome. As long as the spirit of Rome is alive, I am as well. Now, who are you?"

"Gwen. A legacy," Gwen answered sitting forward. "To my left is Percy Jackson. He's a Greek demigod and son of Neptune. The other boy is Jacob."

"And, this is the champion," Caesar interrupted as he studied Sally. "You are taking my position."

Sally slowly nodded. She seemed extremely overwhelmed. Caesar motioned for them to sit, and he moved to Arcadia's side. After everyone seated, the room fell silent.

"We are going to share a secret with you, and I hope that you keep it a secret," Caesar said. He looked at Arcadia. "Begin."

"We heard the story about how this Greek here was exchanged with another Roman," Arcadia began as she vaguely motioned towards Percy. "There is one thing you do not know. This was not the first time it has happened. One prior attempt has been made."

"It was after the fall of Rome and when the pieces were being picked up," Arcadia continued. "You know that the Greek side of the gods lived on through Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire. The Roman side of the gods watched their children scatter into barbarian flocks or stay in the city."

"Those in western Europe still celebrated the Roman gods. They slowly managed to build small cities, but they had conflicts with the Byzantine Empire. They never liked each other, and it led to numerous conflicts."

"The Olympians were scared that the two would fight and wipe each other out. It would cripple the Olympians and maybe even end them. That is where I come in," Arcadia finished. She looked up angrily as if glaring up at Jupiter.

"That was over a thousand years ago," Percy began. Arcadia held up a hand.

"I'm not done," Arcadia said in a clipped tone. "The Olympians thought that they needed a champion to help unite the two sides, but a simple mortal or demigod would not do. They needed an immortal. This one had to be special though."

"Zeus and Juno decided to have me," Arcadia muttered. Her tone was so bitter that it seemed like she regretted her existence. "A Greek father and Roman mother was suppose to make me a bridge for two sides."

"After I was born, I was dropped into the arms of peasant," Arcadia said. She didn't meet their eyes. "I grew up with this peasant, so I could experience the world. After I had been on the mortal world for fifteen years, I went to the Byzantine Empire and learned about their culture."

"At twenty, the fourth crusade happened. All of the crusades before this one was about religion. This one was solely for money because it was funded by merchants," Arcadia continued. "I was suppose to stop the war, but it broke down because of some of the Olympians."

"Ares?" Percy questioned. Arcadia nodded. She took a deep breath. Her features didn't make her seem very godlike. Arcadia had eyes as blue as the sky and brown hair.

"Since I couldn't stop the crusade, I chose my side and went completely against my mother's wish. When I supported Constantinople and it collapsed, Juno's wrath was instant and cruel," Arcadia continued.

"I was cast out of Olympus and never allowed to return. I wandered the mortal world until I found Caesar," Arcadia finished. She leaned back. "Of course, Juno and Zeus tried again. They gave birth to their golden boy and raised him in Olympus."

"Golden boy?" Gwen questioned. She tried to process all of the information that they had heard. A goddess was sitting in front of them, and she hated the Greeks. Would that hinder their job?

"Tyre," Caesar answered. "He watches over us on Juno's orders. That doesn't bother me. I am bothered by this Arimaspi threat. Tell me about them."

Percy and Gwen took turns explaining their story. As Percy spoke, he didn't hold his hatred for Reyna back. That bothered Gwen, but she knew that keeping her mouth shut was a priority.

Caesar leaned back in his seat. He crossed his arms and studied them. His eyes seemed to pierce their soul. Caesar spoke, "Interesting. My legion is at your full disposal. Arcadia will take command of them, but she will follow your orders."

"Only the orders of the protector of Rome," Arcadia interrupted. "Another punishment of mine."

"And who is that protector?" Percy asked after a moment. Arcadia didn't answer. Her focus went back to Caesar.

"Where will you go?" Sally questioned looking at Caesar as well. It seemed like everything was getting to her, and she was trying to keep calm.

"I have been on this earth for a very long time. It is time I rest. I know that my chosen successor will do well," Caesar answered. He stood and walked towards Sally. Caesar held out his hands.

After a moment, Sally took it. Caesar started to mumble something, and he started to glow brightly. Gwen quickly looked away. When she looked back, Caesar was gone.

Sally looked stronger than she had before. There was almost a new glow to her. Arcadia sighed and stood.

"I will tell the legion that we are moving out," Arcadia said. She bowed to Sally and walked out.

"You're immortal," Percy whispered as he looked at Sally. She gave him a tight hug and kissed his cheek.

"I guess so," Sally mumbled. "Who is going to tell Paul?"

Percy laughed and pulled away. He looked at them and spoke, "Alright. We got the legion, so we should head back now."

"It was easier than I expected," Sally admitted. She visibly relax. Gwen almost didn't have the heart to tell her the truth, but Sally needed to know.

"This was the easy part," Gwen said. "The hard comes when we get back. It's not going to be pretty, but I think we can survive. Hopefully."


	31. Imperator

**Shadowhunter3803: I actually made Arcadia and Tyre up. They needed to get Sally to the legion to allow her to take Caesar's power, and the legion is also another army that can help them.**

 **Flame: The three champions are all immortal until they decide to give up their position.**

 **I hope everyone enjoys.**

* * *

Annabeth slowly looked at the vial in her hands. It had been given to her by Reyna before she slipped into unconsciousness for the fifth time in the last thirty minutes. The fights had pretty much destroyed Reyna, and she seemed to be in terrible agony.

"What is this?" Annabeth asked herself. She heard Reyna gasp again as she woke and immediately start to cough. Annabeth put a hand to Reyna's good shoulder to try and keep her down.

Reyna grabbed Annabeth's hand tightly for a few moments. Her grip slowly weakened as Reyna fell into unconsciousness again. Annabeth didn't know if it was from pain or nightmares. It was hard to tell.

It hard been a hard two hours. The barbarians had fled as soon as they saw Akil had been killed. Annabeth had left her siblings in charge of organizing everything. She then stayed by Reyna's side and took care of her.

The Apollo kids were busy dealing with other injuries, and it had been way too much for them. They had to force them to continue to work though. Annabeth looked back down at Reyna and placed a hand to her forehead. Reyna was burning up.

A glance back at the vial revealed nothing. She had no clue what it was suppose to be used for. Annabeth would need Reyna awake for that. The daughter of Bellona suddenly woke again and started to hyperventilate.

Annabeth turned back towards Reyna. She placed a hand to her shoulder and spoke, "Reyna, can you hear me?"

"I didn't mean to," Reyna whispered. She couldn't catch her breath. "I didn't try to send them to their deaths. I'm sorry."

Annabeth placed the vial down and grabbed Reyna's face. She spoke, "Breath. Look at me. You need to relax."

"We had to save her," Reyna cried. There was tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I tried to save them. I tried. I'm so sorry."

Reyna closed her eyes as tears trickled from her eyes. She seemed like she was trying to breath normally. Annabeth closed her eyes. This was not the time for Reyna to have a breakdown.

"What is this vial for?" Annabeth questioned. Reyna's eyes slowly opened and focused on her. "I need to know what the vial is."

"I could save Hylla but not them," Reyna whispered. "I had to save Rachel. I'm sorry."

"How did you save Hylla?" Annabeth asked as she gripped Reyna's face. "I need to know."

"The vial," Reyna answered. Her eyes made her seem like she was in another world. "It healed her wounds. I could save her, but I couldn't help my legion. They died because of me."

"You had to go to the temple of the Fates," Annabeth whispered. "That was not your fault. No one could have known what would happen, and no one blames you."

"Just the voices," Reyna muttered. She laid her head back and stared at the ceiling. "Just the voices."

Annabeth slowly opened the vial and stared at the liquid inside. She poured a small amount on one of Reyna's chest wounds. Reyna made a pained noise, and Annabeth watched the wound slowly heal.

Reyna closed her eyes taking deep breaths. She seemed to be in absolute agony. Annabeth grabbed her shoulder tightly and moved to the other wounds on Reyna's chest using as little liquid as possible.

Annabeth moved towards the wound on Reyna's stomach, and she poured the liquid on it. Reyna grabbed her arm and spoke, "Stop."

"I know it hurts, but we need you to be able to move," Annabeth said. She poured the rest of the vial on Reyna's side. It only took a few seconds for Reyna to fall unconscious again.

A shaky breath left Annabeth. She was struggling with how to handle Reyna. The daughter of Bellona seemed to be on the verge of a mental breakdown. They needed her to take out Thoon.

Annabeth closed her eyes tiredly. She looked at the now empty vial. It had healed Reyna's major wounds. All Annabeth needed to deal was deal with Reyna's shoulder, arm, and knee.

As Annabeth went to set Reyna's arm, she saw something odd. Reyna's tattoo was different. When she had been exiled, the tattoo changed to the word exilium. Now, it was back to being the sword crossed with a torch and five tally marks below that, but it also gold.

"What in the world?" Annabeth whispered. She slowly sat Reyna's arm. Then, she searched through the medical supplies and found a sling. Annabeth set to work on taking care of Reyna's other injuries while her mind tried to figure out why the tattoo was gold.

Annabeth didn't know how long she worked. Her focus was completely on Reyna. Then, she heard the door open. Annabeth turned and stared. Percy was standing at the door.

Percy ran to her side and hugged her. She hugged him back and kissed him. Annabeth spoke, "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Percy whispered. "What happened?"

"We had a battle," Annabeth answered. "Iris was captured, so that is why I couldn't send you any Iris messages. Did you find the legion?"

"About five hours ago," Percy answered. "They are helping the demititans move from their fort and go to a new base. Arcadia knew about the dragon."

"Arcadia?" Annabeth asked.

"A goddess. She was born around the time of the Middle Ages. It's a complicated story," Percy explained. He pulled away. "She was serving Julius Caesar. He passed on and gave his power to mom."

"How is Sally doing?" Annabeth questioned.

"Pretty well considering everything that has happened," Percy answered. He turned his head and glared at Reyna. "What is she doing here?"

"Give her a break," Annabeth said. "We both need to."

Percy crossed his arms and remained silent. Annabeth knew how hard it would be to fix all of the bridges Reyna had burned. They needed to work together though. If she got close to Reyna, she could do something to maintain control of the situation after they dealt with Thoon and the Arimaspi.

Another woman walked into the room. Annabeth turned to look at her. Percy glanced to his right and spoke, "Annabeth meet Arcadia. She's the reason we got here so quickly."

"Tyre brought the others to the fort," Arcadia said. It was hard to place her accent. "Is this the daughter of Bellona? Reyna, correct?"

"Yeah," Annabeth answered. "Would you happen to know why her tattoo is gold?"

Arcadia's eyes flickered towards her. She looked at the door and spoke, "Get out."

"What?" Percy questioned.

"Get. Out," Arcadia repeated. "I'm sure it is a phrase Americans use when they want people to leave a room. Now. Leave."

Annabeth glanced at Percy and followed him out. She closed the door. Percy instantly put his ear to the door. Annabeth was right behind him.

The room was silent for a few moments. Then, Reyna started coughing. She groaned in pain and slowly spoke, "Who are you?"

"Arcadia, et vos?" Arcadia answered. Annabeth exchanged glances with Percy. He had the same pained looked as her. Neither of them spoke Latin.

"Reyna. Why are you speaking in Latin?" Reyna slowly asked. She cried out in pain and took deep breaths.

"Graecos ubique," Arcadia responded. Annabeth could guess that the first word was Greeks, so she assumed Arcadia knew they were listening.

"There are Romans everywhere as well. That includes the Senate. You should be talking to them instead of me," Reyna muttered.

"Aut Caesar aut nihil," Arcadia said. Percy gave Annabeth a look and mouthed Caesar. Annabeth just shrugged in confusion. She knew that Reyna was related to Julius Caesar.

"I'm not Caesar. He may be my ancestor, but I an not like him," Reyna said.

"Dis aliter visum," Arcadia countered. There was silence for a few moments before Reyna sighed deeply.

"Who cares what it seems like to the gods?" Reyna muttered. "I have bigger problems than that."

"Senatus?" Arcadia wondered. "Damnant quod non intellegunt."

Annabeth literally had no clue what they were saying. From what she knew, Arcadia wanted to find someone like Caesar, but Annabeth didn't know what that entitled. Her next guess was that the gods thought Reyna was like Caesar. She had no clue what the last sentence meant though.

"They condemn what they do not understand," Gwen translated as she knelt by them. Annabeth looked behind her. Gwen had visibly been crying, and she was trying to wipe her eyes.

"Fere libenter homines id quoud volunt credunt," Reyna finally muttered.

"Men generally believe what they want to," Gwen translated. "I guess she's talking about how everyone believe that the patricide didn't have a good reason behind it. Did it?"

Gwen's eyes focused on Annabeth's. The daughter of Athena did not look away. She wasn't going to be intimidated. Annabeth finally nodded once to show that Reyna's actions were justified.

"Fiat justitia et pereat mundus," Arcadia muttered. "Stulti."

"Let justice be done, though the world shall perish," Gwen whispered. "Then, Arcadia called it stupidity. I don't think she likes us."

"What am I suppose to do?" Reyna suddenly asked. Her voice was more heartbroken than Annabeth expected.

"Exercitus sine duce corpus est sine spiritu," Arcadia answered.

"An army without a leader is a body without a spirit," Gwen said. "Besides Frank, we really don't have a competent leader. Reyna has to work with us."

Annabeth didn't respond. She knew it was true, but she didn't know how to undo Reyna's exile. The would be something she would have to figure out later.

"How can I lead them?" Reyna demanded. "The Senate doesn't trust me. Frank, the praetor, hates my guts. The Amazons probably only tolerate me because of my sister. All of the Hunters hate me. The Greek, especially their leaders, despise me."

"There's nothing I can do to fix that," Reyna muttered. "It would be better if I asked Atropos to release me from my duties."

"Cui bono?" Arcadia questioned.

"Who benefits," Annabeth said before Gwen could. Gwen nodded slightly.

"Who wouldn't?" Reyna grumbled. "Hell, who wouldn't be happy about it?"

"Etiamsi omnes, ego non," Arcadia answered.

"Even if all others, I will never," Gwen translated. "It sounds like Arcadia is swearing fealty or something."

"How do you suggest I win back everyone's favor," Reyna whispered. Annabeth could barely hear her.

"Dignitas. Pietas. Gravitas," Arcadia responded.

"Being a Roman is your answer?" Reyna asked incredulously.

"Sic," Arcadia answered. "Vale, imperator."

The three had no time to move as the door opened. Arcadia glanced at them with an unamused look. Annabeth quickly stood.

"You three can tell the Senate that we will be taking order from our imperator," Arcadia said.

"Your emperor?" Percy questioned. Arcadia gave them a knowing smirk, and she walked away.

"That went well," Annabeth muttered. She looked at Percy. "We should start moving to the demititans' new base."

"I'll help Reyna," Gwen offered. She stepped into the room before any of them could answer. Annabeth looked at Percy. He grabbed her hand tightly and led her away.

"So, this is going to end badly, isn't it?" Percy asked. Annabeth nodded. She had a feeling that things were about to go terrible very fast. Annabeth really hoped she was wrong.


	32. Auribus Teneo Lupum

Reyna woke to hearing the door slam open. She was thrown to the ground a moment later, and the lights were turned on. Two Hunters of Artemis stood over her. Thalia stood at the doorway.

"Get up," Thalia ordered. Reyna watched the three of them and slowly scooted backwards. Her knee couldn't support her weight, so standing was not an option.

"What do you want?" Reyna asked. She was in no condition to fight. Her breathing became ragged, and it sent pain through her body. Her ribs were still broken, and it was another thing keeping her on the ground.

"You killed two of our friends," one of the Hunters said. Reyna looked at the three of them and tried to calm her breathing. After a moment, she looked down at the ground.

"Look, I'm sorry," Reyna said. "If I could back."

"Do you think those words mean anything?" the Hunter demanded. "Of course you would go back! Then, you wouldn't have to pay for your mistakes."

"What do you want me to say?" Reyna demanded. She tried to stand but couldn't. Pain tore through her knee and ribs. It kept her on the ground, and there wasn't anything she could do.

"I don't," the Hunter hissed. She flipped out a knife. Reyna looked at Thalia and swallowed painfully.

"Is this what you want?" Reyna demanded. She looked up at the Hunter trying to bring up any nerves that she could. "Is my suffering going to bring them back?"

"No," the Hunter answered. "Get up."

"Alethia," Thalia began. The Hunter, Alethia, turned on Thalia and gripped her knife. The two watched each other and seemed to come to a silent agreement.

Reyna took a pained breath and slowly scooted backwards. She had reached the wall. After a moment, Reyna placed her left hand to ground and tried to stand.

Pain in her chest forced her back to the ground. Alethia walked towards her and grabbed her by her shirt. The Hunter pulled Reyna to her feet.

"I would love to kill you, but immortality protects you," Alethia spat. She hovered the knife near Reyna's neck. Reyna was too busy dealing with pain shooting through her ribs to care.

"If you try to kill me, someone dies in my place," Reyna whispered. "You can't do that to anyone else."

"Really?" Alethia hissed. "You are going to tell me about that? Death follows you wherever you go. You aren't just the reaper. You are the angel of death."

"I regret all of those deaths," Reyna whispered. The guilt crashed over her in a wave, and she found it extremely hard to breath. A fist slammed into her ribs a moment later, and she couldn't breath at all.

Reyna collapsed to the ground and gasped for breath. It took her a minute to catch her breath, and she didn't try to get back up. Alethia stood over her and pulled her up again. Reyna glared at her.

"What do you want?" Reyna wheezed. She was shoved into a chair. Alethia walked towards her and grabbed her face.

"All champions must die," Alethia whispered. She suddenly turned and threw the knife into the other Hunter's skull. Thalia stared and went to grab her bow.

Alethia already had her bow out with an arrow notched. She spoke, "Don't try it, or I will put this arrow into your skull. Understood?"

Thalia slowly lowered her hand. Reyna swallowed painfully as she watched. There wasn't much that she could do. Reyna spoke, "Let her go."

"All you have to do is give up your position," Alethia answered. She pulled out a dagger that was a rainbow of color while keeping the bow aimed at Thalia. Reyna's heart left her chest. "Do you remember this?"

"How many more of you are there?" Reyna demanded. "There was one in the Amazons. You're in the Hunters. How many more?"

"The Greek one was killed," Alethia answered. "The Roman one is very much active."

"If I don't give up my position, you're going to kill Thalia," Reyna assumed. Alethia nodded. "But, it doesn't matter. You would kill her even if I did."

Alethia sneered at her. She had kept her gaze on Thalia the entire time. Thalia spoke, "You're going to frame me?"

"Divide and conquer," Alethia answered. Reyna tried to stand. Alethia turned and fired an arrow right next to her ear. As it hit the chair, Reyna heard a high pitched noise, and pain shot through her skull.

The pain drove Reyna from her chair and to the ground. It cleared away after a minute of agony. Alethia spoke, "If you don't want to end up like the reaper, I suggest you get on your knees."

"No," Thalia spat. "If you want to kill me, I am right here."

Alethia sighed and nodded. As she released the arrow, Thalia moved. Thalia's bow appeared in her hands, and she shot an arrow at Alethia.

The arrow hit Alethia right in her forehead. She collapsed to the ground a moment later. Thalia sighed sadly and walked towards Reyna.

"I'm sorry," Reyna whispered. "I shouldn't have killed those Hunters. I thought they were spies for Circe, and that they were under her control like you and Hylla had been."

"I regret everyone who died because of me," Reyna continued. "Everyone. It keeps me awake at night. I close my eyes, and it is the only thing that I can see."

"If you regret it so much, you shouldn't have done it," Thalia spat. She checked over her fallen Hunter and closed her eyes. Reyna stared at the ground and tried to sit up.

Pain stopped her. Reyna pressed her head against the ground and closed her eyes. She heard footsteps coming down the hall, and someone stepped into the room.

"What happened?" Arcadia asked. Reyna moved her eyes to look upwards. The goddess walked towards her and pulled her up. Reyna cried out in agony. "Hey, you're alive, right? Quiet."

"A spy infiltrated my Hunters," Thalia answered. "We were attacked."

"Hmm, we have a game of spies. So, this place isn't safe?" Arcadia questioned. She nodded to herself. "We're going."

"Where?" Thalia demanded. Arcadia glanced at her and raised an eyebrow.

"You all hate the imperator's guts. Why does it matter to you?" Arcadia wondered. "I can remove the source of conflict that everyone has their attention on."

Reyna stared at the ground and tried to stay standing. She felt weak and sick. There was no way that she could help anyone in her current state.

"I need to leave," Reyna muttered. "Even if it's for a week, it will keep everyone calm and focused. Let's go."

Arcadia smirked and covered her eyes. Reyna closed them anyway and felt like she was spinning. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in an apartment. Arcadia laid her down on a couch.

Reyna laid her head back in pain. She glanced around the apartment. There was another couch across from her. In a moment, Reyna realized she was just in a large room. To be more exact, she was in an office.

"Damn it," Reyna muttered. An attempt to sit up failed. Her ribs ached miserably. Arcadia looked at her and shrugged.

"Your mother wanted me to bring you here and get you away," Arcadia explained. "She thought it would be best, and I do not need another goddess angry with me."

"Is the therapist that I was suppose to go to?" Reyna questioned. Arcadia nodded. "So, you don't really care about me? You just want me back in commission."

"I don't care about anyone," Arcadia admitted. She sat on a couch opposite of Reyna. "My only job is to serve the person who continues the spirit of Rome. It was Caesar, but he passed on and gave that responsibility to you."

Reyna sighed painfully and laid her head back. She laughed bitterly and spoke, "Is this just another cruel joke? I'm suppose to continue the spirit of Rome? I was exiled!"

"And?" Arcadia asked. "Caesar was considered a traitor when he crossed Rubicon River. It was called an act of treason. Yet, he saved Rome."

"I am not Caesar," Reyna snapped. She looked at the ceiling. "I'm not a traitor. I'm not a dictator. I am not an emperor."'

"You think negative," Arcadia chided. "Caesar is one of the greatest Romans. Yes, he was ambitious, but that led to Rome becoming an empire. His nephew became the greatest of emperors, and he was a Caesar. You are a Caesar."

Reyna closed her eyes. She was too tired to argue. Her eyes started to close. Footsteps caught her attention.

"This is my patient?" a woman wondered. Reyna slowly opened her eyes. From the cheery voice, she knew it was Martha. She barely remembered the conversation they had on the phone.

"I'm not a patient," Reyna hissed. She tried to sit up but couldn't. Reyna finally laid her head back and gave up on trying to move. Her eyes moved towards Martha.

Martha was a plump woman who had to be in her early thirties. She had brown hair with soft, brown eyes. Arcadia made room on the couch and patted it. Martha sat next to her.

"You look like you've been through hell," Martha commented.

"I know," Reyna muttered. "Pain medication would be nice though."

Arcadia reached into her pocket and threw two pill bottles at Reyna. The daughter of Bellona didn't even try to catch them. Both of the pill bottles hit the couch then fell onto her lap.

"What are the orders for the army?" Arcadia questioned. Reyna sighed and tried to think.

"Both the Huns and the legion will listen to my sister," Reyna answered. "Do whatever she says."

"Ignore all other orders?" Arcadia questioned. Reyna nodded painfully. "Good. I have a feeling I'm going to like you. Now, I have to go. Have fun."

Reyna watched the goddess walk out of the room. She slowly looked at Martha. The therapist spoke, "Shall we get started?"


	33. Caeci Caecos Ducentes

Arcadia silently examined the three people in front of her. One was that Greek gnat called Annabeth Chase. She was beyond annoying. It would be great if she just shut her mouth for once.

Children of Athena weren't terrible. They just had egos that were way too big for one normal person to have. It was amazing really.

Her eyes moved to the other woman. From the black eyes, it was easy to tell that she was a daughter of Bellona. She was the second daughter of Bellona that Arcadia had met and presumably the older one. One by itself was surprising enough.

Children of Bellona ruined things. They started revolutions, destroyed empires, and a bunch of other fun things. Two of them together would probably destroy the world. Arcadia was a little excited for that.

It took Arcadia a minute to remember the woman's name: Hylla. She was the queen of something. Arcadia frowned and gave up on trying to remember. Everyone would be lucky if she remembered their names.

Hylla had a pretty cool but fading scar on her neck. Apparently, she almost died or something. Another girl was leaning on Hylla and trying to not look clingy. It wasn't working.

"What am I doing here?" Arcadia questioned. The daughter of Athena decided she could just pull Arcadia aside and tell her what to do. Who in Hades did she think that she was?

"Where did you take my sister?" Hylla demanded. She even had the nerve to glare at Arcadia. How dare these demigods even act like they deserved to breath the same air as her? Arcadia watched them and crossed her arms.

"To a therapist," Arcadia answered. "It was your mother's orders, so you need to back off. Now, your sister told me to listen to your orders. What are they?"

Hylla studied her for a moment. She finally spoke, "Who are you?"

Oh, this was going to be a long day. Arcadia did not desire to play twenty questions with the demigods. All she wanted was her orders from Hylla, so she could get on with her life.

"Arcadia. I am a minor goddess of war and forced into your sister's service," Arcadia answered. "She is the champion of Rome; therefore, it is my duty to listen to her."

"Why?" Hylla questioned. The answer to that question sent anger through Arcadia's chest because it made her think of her mother. Juno never cared for her. Arcadia was simply a tool to be used, but she wasn't even the right tool for the job.

"Punishment," Arcadia answered. "To make it simple, your sister has been chosen by fate, chance, or whatever. She carries on the spirit of Rome. What does that mean? It means she should be honored instead of dealing with an idiotic sentence of being exiled."

"What do you mean spirit of Rome?" Hylla asked. She crossed her arms clearly confused. The girl leaning on her seemed extremely interested in the conversation.

"I don't care enough to tell you the long explanation," Arcadia admitted. "What you need to know is that your sister is tied to the spirit of Rome. As long as she is alive, Rome is as well. Upon her death, I hope someone else takes up the mantle."

Hylla stared at her for a very long time. There was something else in her eyes, but Arcadia still didn't care. She just wanted to go to her legion and get away from these idiots. Arcadia would have been fine with either one.

"So, what are my orders?" Arcadia asked again. Hopefully, twenty questions was over with.

"You know the legion better than me," Hylla muttered after a moment. "You just have them help everyone here and have them ready to fight."

"Here I was thinking that I needed to do something important," Arcadia commented. She sighed. "Am I dismissed?"

"Go," Hylla ordered. Arcadia turned and walked out of the room. She was more than glad to be away.

Life was much simpler with Julius Caesar. For one, he didn't have these idiotic ideas like staying underneath a roof and having a hot meal every night. The legion was on the march for eight months out of the year.

Their job was simple. They exterminated the big, scary monsters that would destroy things if they made it to America. Most of the legion worked all over Europe. Caesar was forced to stay in Rome because of his condition. That meant Arcadia was with the legion most of the time.

Truthfully, Arcadia would miss him. She had spent almost five hundred years working by his side. They knew each other strengths and weaknesses. Now, Caesar was gone, and she was alone.

Arcadia had a new leader to listen to. The problem was that this girl was untested. Sure, she had been at Camp Jupiter, but that was nothing compared to the legion. They were the best of the best.

A hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder. Arcadia was thrown backwards into a room. She jumped to her feet and stared at the woman in front of her. A smile broke out onto face.

"Getting slow," Enyo commented. There was a smirk plastered on her face. "The Roman lifestyle is softening you."

"You wish," Arcadia said. "It's being in America. What are you doing here?"

"I've been assigned to help that queen of the Amazons," Enyo answered. Arcadia raised an eyebrow. They were both suppose to protect daughters of Bellona. Fate was a funny thing.

"I'm watching over the little one," Arcadia said. "She's at a therapist right now. How have you been?"

"Not well," Enyo admitted. "I made a mistake in the side that I chose. I'm having to pay for it now. Come."

Enyo led her out of the room. Arcadia eagerly followed. She learned half of the things that she knew about fighting from Enyo. The other half was from Bellona.

Two war goddesses became more of a parental figure than her actual parents. It was funny really. Arcadia sighed bitterly and spoke, "I need to see to the legion soon, but you must tell me how you chose the wrong side."

"I made a plan to steal my brother's shield," Enyo answered. Arcadia started to laugh.

"Why would you steal that piece of junk?" Arcadia wondered. Enyo glared at her. "Alright. Calm down. Get on with the story."

"It was a distraction, so Ares would be so angry that he started a war. The plan was partially foiled by the younger daughter of Bellona. It was too late though. Ouranos rose, and we proceeded with our plan."

"Must have been a terrible plan if it didn't work," Arcadia commented. Her legion came into sight. They were standing around talking and sharpening weapons.

"We were suppose to keep everyone's attention while Ouranos raised his wife," Enyo muttered. "It went wrong very quickly."

"You'll have to tell me how another time," Arcadia said. "I must go to the legion. Stay safe in the wolves' den."

"This is more dangerous than wolves," Enyo commented. Arcadia smiled bitterly. The two parted ways. She walked towards her legion and watched them silently.

After a moment, she noticed that some of them were talking to a young boy. It took her a moment to recognize the boy as the Aquilifer for the legion. That was the reason he was getting so much attention.

"Boy," Arcadia said. The Aquilifer turned towards her. "Come here. What's your name?"

"Jacob," the boy whispered after a moment. "You're the goddess, right? I've heard a lot about you from the legion."

"All good things I hope," Arcadia said with a smirk. "Now, you are the Aquilifer. Do you understand how important that position is?"

"I hold the standard," Jacob answered with a shrug. There was still fear in his eyes. That wasn't good though. He had to be fearless.

"No. You hold the weight of the legion on your shoulders," Arcadia explained. "You are the rallying point. As long as you are on two feet, the legion has hope."

"Your first responsibility is to your standard," Arcadia continued. "Your standard must only fall if you do. Understood?"

"I understand," Jacob promised. He was practically shaking from fear. It sent a feeling of amusement through Arcadia. She watched him before turning to her legion. They soon fell silent as they noticed her.

"We're suppose to help out with whatever the others need," Arcadia said. "That sounds boring, but they need help moving their base. Show them how a real legion does it."

There was no acknowledgment from the legion. They just parted ways and went to work. That was how Arcadia liked it. When there was a job that needed to get done, time was only wasted by words.

Arcadia looked around and picked out two people that were having an awkward conversation. She easily recognized the two champions. There was a different aura to them. It was the aura of immortality.

Her gaze moved around to the two Romans that were part of the Senate. She didn't know their names, but the other Romans kept their distance. That meant they didn't like the two. She wanted to learn more about them.

Her line of thinking was simple. Reyna was carrying on the spirit of Rome. If she could not be the leader of Camp Jupiter, she should be honored and not exiled. Demigods were stupid.

Arcadia ran through the mental map in her head. She started walking towards the infirmary. All of the wounded from the prison camp had been brought into the infirmary. There was a lot of injuries.

While Arcadia didn't particularly like pretty much anyone, she knew they needed strong soldiers. There was a chance that she could help the wounded. If not, it would pass the time till her imperator came back. That's all Arcadia really wanted because that was when they could really go to war.


	34. Dum Spiro, Spero

Reyna stared at the ceiling tiredly. She felt numb from pain medication. It was a nice feeling to have. There was no terrible pain tearing through her chest every time she breathed. Her shoulder wasn't aching constantly.

For the first time in a long time, she actually felt peaceful. Her mind was mostly clear. The voices had been acting up earlier. Some told her to stab Martha with a pen, but they were subdued with medication.

It was starting to become clear that the voices only acted up when she was under an extreme amount of stress. For the past few hours, she had been laying on a couch and doing nothing. Martha had left her alone which was smart.

"How are you feeling?" Martha asked as she walked into the room. She sat a plate down followed by a mug of hot chocolate. It seemed like she was trying to bribe Reyna into talking. Martha hit a brick wall when Reyna first arrived. The daughter of Bellona refused to talk.

Reyna closed her eyes and slowly tried to sit up. Martha helped her and received a glare for it. If there was one thing Reyna didn't need, it was help. She rubbed her face and slowly grabbed the mug of hot chocolate.

"We can talk when you are ready," Martha said as she sat down. Reyna watched her and took a sip of the hot chocolate.

"I just need some rest," Reyna muttered after a few moments. A little relaxation was all that she needed.

"You need someone to talk to," Martha corrected. "Rest will only get you so far. We can start wherever."

"Look, I don't want to start," Reyna snapped. She slammed the mug down angrily. "I don't need anyone's help!"

"You just went from normal and relaxed to ready to take my head off," Martha commented. "That is not something that is suppose to happen. I want to help you."

Reyna closed her eyes and took deep breaths. She felt a twinge of pain in her ribs. After a minute, Reyna opened her eyes and spoke, "I don't know where to start."

"You don't trust me. That is okay," Martha promised. "Look, we can start simple. Tell me about your sister."

"No," Reyna said immediately. "No. I'm not going to talk about her, okay?"

Reyna knew that she should feel guilty. The last time she spoke to Hylla had ended horribly. Reyna had disowned her older sister.

Reyna didn't want to focus on that, and if she talked about her sister, that would be her only thought. She didn't want to remember what she had done. Martha watched her and cleared her throat.

"What about some of your friends?" Martha questioned. She glanced at a notebook. "Annabeth Chase. Wasn't she the one who got you exiled?"

"Shut up," Reyna snapped. "Don't ever talk about that again, okay? Just stop trying to help me!"

"You gave everything to them," Martha continued like she had not heard Reyna, or she simply chose to ignore her. "What did you receive in return? And, why did you receive it?"

"I was exiled," Reyna snapped. "Are you happy? Annabeth told the Senate about my patricide. Is that what you want to hear?"

"Why do you consider her a friend?" Martha asked. Reyna stared at the older woman. The question completely caught her off guard. "If Annabeth gave away your greatest secret, why do you consider her a friend?"

"She just is," Reyna replied. "I don't know what kind of response you want."

Martha sat forward and spoke, "Why though?"

"Why don't you just shut up?" Reyna hissed. "I don't know why! Do you just want me to turn my back on my friends?"

"Is Annabeth Chase your friend?" Martha questioned. Reyna glared at her and closed her eyes tightly. She wanted to calm down but couldn't. Martha needed to shut up. Every time she talked, Reyna got angrier and angrier.

"Why don't we talk about regret?" Martha continued. "Since you don't trust me, we still start simple. Tell me about the pirates you slaughtered."

"I don't regret it," Reyna snapped. She opened her eyes and glared at the ceiling as she remembered the day. "I put them down like the dogs they were."

"Tell me about it," Martha said. Reyna watched her for a moment. She finally nodded. If it got Martha to shut up, it would be worth it.

Reyna took a sip of the hot chocolate and laid her head back. She spoke, "I was going to visit Hylla that day. I spent about five days working up the courage to see her."

"On that day, I was walking along the shore to calm myself," Reyna continued. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "There was a pirate ship that the mist hid from the view of mortals. My heart stopped when I saw it because I recognized the flag."

Reyna stopped talking and took deep breaths. Panic was swelling in her chest as she remembered the tattered and torn pirate's flag. Usually, she could get through the story without any trouble, but it was different now. Granted, Reyna had only told two people.

"Damn it," Reyna hissed. She placed her head into her hands and took deep breaths. Some of the panic disappeared. A hand gently grabbed her shoulder.

"Why did you decide to go to the ship?" Martha asked. Her tone was calm, and it caused Reyna to relax slightly.

"They got close enough to the shore to resupply or whatever," Reyna answered after a minute of silence. "I heard them talking about killing this one girl. I don't even remember her name now, but something in me snapped."

"The ship didn't leave when night came," Reyna continued. "I managed to sneak my way onto the ship. I killed every pirate there."

"And, you don't regret taking that many lives?" Martha wondered. Reyna met her eyes and shook her head.

"I was putting down rabid dogs," Reyna responded. "Circe had them trapped as guinea pigs for many years. They had lost their mind a long time ago. Those pirates I killed were feral dogs."

"What about Blackbeard. Why crucify him?" Martha asked. Reyna leaned back and stared ahead. It took her time to consider her answer. She finally decided to tell the truth.

"He threatened Hylla," Reyna answered. "He told me that he would crawl back from the Underworld and make her pay for what I had done. His buddies would see he had been killed, and they would take revenge."

"It was a warning," Martha guessed. Reyna nodded. "You are really protective of your sister, or are we still not talking about her?"

"I messed up, okay," Reyna muttered. "I disowned her when I last talked to her. Then, she almost died."

"And, you slaughtered three barbarian camps in response," Martha added. "You are very dedicated to her."

"She's all I have," Reyna whispered. "My father is dead. I don't honestly know if my mother cares about me. My home has been taken from me multiple times. Hylla is all I have."

Reyna regretted every word she said to Hylla. There was no way to get in contact with her sister though. She took a deep breath and sighed sadly.

How did she manage to screw everything up? Reyna laid her head back and spoke, "How did I make up for that? How can I even look my sister in the eyes after what I said?"

"You have to forgive yourself," Martha answered. "It will be hard, and it won't happen immediately."

Reyna closed her eyes. She knew it was the truth, but reflecting on her decisions would hurt. Reyna had done terrible things in the last month. After a moment, her eyes opened.

"Did Atropos tell you everything about me?" Reyna wondered. After a moment, she turned her head to watch Martha.

"Yes and no," Martha replied. "Your mother told me much about you, and she was the one that kept me the most updated. She does care about you."

"I don't think the gods know how to care," Reyna said. "I saved Olympus from Ouranos. Jupiter would have been cast in Tartarus without me. Now, he declared me as an enemy of Olympus. What am I suppose to do?"

"Atropos is protecting you," Martha began. Reyna sighed and nodded. It was true, but she didn't deserve Atropos' protection.

Reyna stared ahead and contemplated giving up her position. It would stop Metis from being able to use her as a vessel for Chaos. Pretty much everyone would be happy that she was gone, but she couldn't do that.

Thoon had to be destroyed, and Metis had to be stopped. That was Reyna's mission. The bridges she burned would slowly have to be rebuilt. There was something that would have to be done first though.

"Atropos, we need to talk," Reyna said as she looked up at the ceiling. "Now."

There was silence for a few moments. Then, Reyna felt a presence behind her. She turned and winced in pain. Atropos was standing behind her.

"You want to spare Leo Valdez and Hazel Levesque," Atropos guessed.

"I want to spare every Roman and Greek that deserves to be spared," Reyna said as she painfully stood. Despite the pain medication, her knee ached in pain, and she couldn't put any pressure on it. Reyna turned towards Atropos.

"They fought for Olympus during the war," Reyna continued. "You shouldn't reward them by killing them."

"If I say no, you will give up your position?" Atropos interrupted. Reyna couldn't find her voice, so she nodded instead. "What makes the Greeks and Romans special?"

"I'm tired of turning my back on my friends," Reyna whispered. "I refuse to kill them, so you can release me from my duties or let them live."

Atropos watched her with no emotion. After a long minute, she spoke, "What about Thoon?"

"You can find someone else to replace me," Reyna answered. "It won't be hard to find someone who wouldn't care about killing Leo and Hazel. I'm expendable. I don't want to disobey you, but I cannot kill them."

The room fell silent. Reyna was waiting for the inevitable. She knew that Atropos wouldn't go for it. Reyna had tried, and that was all that mattered. For her, backing down was not an option.

"I expect you to visit Martha twice a week,"Atropos said. She turned away. "You will keep your temper around the Olympians and authority at the camps. In fact, you will return to the demititan base soon and repair those bridges that you burned. Understood?"

"You'll let them live?" Reyna whispered. A shaky breath let her. She regretted all that she had done, and it seemed like Atropos was letting her make up for it.

"Yes," Atropos answered. "If you do what I have told you to."

"I will," Reyna promised. She looked at the ground. "When should I return to the base?"

"After you tell Martha about the war with Ouranos. Specifically, the temple that you lost a quarter of the legion at," Atropos replied. Reyna closed her eyes, but she nodded. When she opened them, Atropos was gone.

Reyna sat back on the couch. She glanced at Martha who had watched the entire thing in silence. Reyna spoke in a shaky voice, "So, should we get started?"


	35. Murphy's Law

Kinzie rubbed her eyes tiredly. She had spent the last ten hours moving things out of the old demititan base. It was kind of ridiculous that the demititans had just finished their base, and now, they were on the move again.

It had been two days since arrivals had come from the prison camp. According to scouts, the barbarians were gathering their strength. That was why everyone had mostly been moved to the new base.

At the moment, Kinzie was one of three people at the demititan base. A few of the demititan scouts would be making their way back. Then, they would leave and blow the base up.

Two hands wrapped around her waist, and Hylla pulled her close. Kinzie spoke, "Have fun with your nap?"

"You left me," Hylla responded. It almost sounded like she was pouting. A smirk appeared on Kinzie's face.

"You needed some sleep," Kinzie said. She smiled as Hylla kissed her neck. "You're lucky you didn't die on me. I would have brought you back and killed you myself."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Hylla commented. "I'm going to talk to Sarah. Don't get into any trouble while I'm gone."

"That's my specialty," Kinzie said. She turned towards Hylla and kissed her. After she pulled away, her eyes stayed focused on Hylla's. "I won't get in trouble if you don't."

Hylla smiled and nodded. The scar on her neck was almost gone. It made Kinzie sick to her stomach to even see it. Hylla walked out of the room.

Kinzie was standing in what had been the mess hall. She had been staring at a wall and contemplating her future. If they survived this war, Kinzie wanted to marry Hylla.

Truthfully, she didn't want to wait. They couldn't be distracted though. Kinzie also had two people she needed to talk to. As Kinzie turned to leave, she saw a woman standing in front of her.

Kinzie's heart dropped to her stomach. She could feel adrenaline kicking in. Her brain was telling her to run, but her legs were starting to shake.

"Um, I, uh, was hoping to talk to you," Kinzie said nervously. She stared into the black eyes of the goddess in front of her. Bellona watched her in complete and utter silence. It made Kinzie feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Let me see it," Bellona ordered. Her voice sounded like Hylla when she got all angry and demanding. It was hot on Hylla, but it was really scary on Bellona.

"Are you going to disintegrate me if it is not good enough?" Kinzie wondered. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the box that held the ring for Hylla. With a shaking hand, she opened it.

Bellona took the box from Kinzie's hand. She examined it silently. Kinzie's heart starting beating faster. Her palms started sweating. All she wanted to do was run out of the room.

"You want to marry my daughter?" Bellona asked. Her eyes were still studying the ring. It was almost impossible to read her face. Kinzie could swear that the goddess looked disappointed, but she hoped that her eyes were just playing tricks on her.

Kinzie nodded. Then, she found her courage and spoke, "I do want to marry her."

"And, you want my permission?" Bellona questioned. She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well, I heard stories," Kinzie began. She swallowed painfully. "Not about you though. It's just the others. If the gods don't like the person their kid marries, they try to kill them. I don't think you would that, of course."

Kinzie wanted to grab her jaw and keep it shut. She couldn't stop talking. Bellona looked completely unamused. The goddess handed her the ring back.

"And, I know you don't have the best relationship with Hylla," Kinzie slowly continued. Bellona's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and it sent terror through Kinzie. She forced herself to meet the goddess' eyes. "I think it would mean a lot if you approved of it. Well, of me."

The minutes passed as Bellona said nothing. Her expression was extremely hard to read. It became really awkward, and Kinzie just wanted to run out of the there. She held her ground though and tried to ignore how much her stomach was twisting into knots.

Then, Bellona smirked. The goddess spoke, "I approved of you two from day one. You are a very good influence on my daughter."

"I was really thinking you would say no," Kinzie began. She placed two hands to her chest and let out a deep breath.

"If you hurt my daughter," Bellona warned. Kinzie shook her head.

"I would never hurt Hylla. I love her," Kinzie said. She realized Bellona was testing her again. That would get annoying soon.

"I do approve of this marriage," Bellona promised. She snapped her fingers, and a ring box appeared in her hands. Kinzie raised an eyebrow.

"What is that?" Kinzie questioned after a moment. Bellona placed the box into her hand.

"It is the ring that Hylla's father gave to me," Bellona answered. "I know it may bring back bad memories, but it belongs to Hylla. You can use it as the engagement ring or the wedding ring."

"Thank you," Kinzie whispered. She placed the box into her pocket. Bellona grabbed her shoulder and nodded to her. When she let go, Kinzie looked away. Bellona was gone when she opened her eyes.

Footsteps echoed through the hall behind Kinzie. She turned and saw Arcadia step into the cafeteria. The goddess was wearing Roman armor minus the helmet. Her eyes focused on Kinzie.

"Where is the queen of the Amazons?" Arcadia questioned. She sounded tired. Kinzie knew that Arcadia had been bringing people and supplies to the new base. To her, it was weird that a goddess could get tired.

Arcadia had been working nonstop, and Kinzie didn't think the goddess had gotten any thanks. Kinzie looked at her and spoke, "Hylla is talking to Sarah, and we appreciate all you've been doing."

"Do you mean being a pack mule for everyone?" Arcadia asked. She smirked, but it was full of bitterness. "I live to serve. Now, go get your girlfriend, so we can leave."

"We're waiting for the scouts," Kinzie said. "Then, we can go to the base."

"I don't care," Arcadia muttered. She sighed deeply. "I am going with or without you."

Kinzie watched the goddess before reluctantly nodding. She stepped out of the cafeteria and looked around. The building was still a freaking maze to her. Arcadia stepped out of the cafeteria and shoved past her.

After a moment of staring at Arcadia's back, Kinzie followed. The goddess was probably the least friendliest person that Kinzie had ever met. Considering some of the Amazons she knew, it was amazing.

After a few twists and turns, they were outside. Arcadia glanced back at Kinzie and raised an eyebrow. She looked exhausted. Kinzie forced herself to look for Hylla.

A smile came to her face as she found her girlfriend. Hylla was talking to Sarah. The demititan seemed to be staring out in the distance and not paying attention.

Kinzie walked towards them. Hylla turned her head and smiled. When she saw Arcadia, the smile disappeared.

Sarah slowly looked at them and nodded acknowledgment. She spoke, "The scouts aren't back yet. I don't like it."

"You think they were attacked?" Arcadia questioned. Sarah nodded and stood. Her leg seemed to be completely healed. "You should have better scouts then."

"Stop talking," Hylla ordered. Arcadia glared at her, but she didn't say another word. "Sarah, do you want us to go look for them?"

"No," Sarah answered. She grabbed her bow and glanced at it. "This is something I need to do alone."

"It's suicide," Kinzie interrupted. "There was four scouts. If they were all killed, you don't stand a chance."

"There is a difference between suicide and a need for vengeance," Sarah said. "You three can head to the new base. I will handle things here."

"Not happening," Kinzie promised. "I'm not letting you do it alone."

"I am tired of sitting around," Sarah snapped. "We have so much we need to accomplish, but no one is doing anything. We must liberate the two camps, end the barbarians, stop Metis, and now Thoon. Don't tell me what I can and cannot do alone."

"I was laid back and relaxed," Sarah continued. "That was before my girlfriend was murdered. Now, it's time to be pissed off and ready to fight."

Kinzie found herself at a loss for words. If she lost Hylla, she would act exactly like Sarah. The need for revenge would overwhelm her other senses.

"Why don't we deal with Atticus. Then, we can go look for the scouts," Hylla suggested. Sarah watched them and finally nodded.

"Why not just kill him?" Arcadia asked. "That would make our lives easier."

"Clarisse is the only one who can," Hylla explained as she led them towards the cells. "I guess the other Greeks told her no."

"We can't win this war unless we make the hard choices," Arcadia muttered. "All of you are soft."

"Shut up," Hylla snapped. "I'm really sick and tired of hearing you talk , so you are going to keep your mouth shut until I tell you to. Understood?"

Before Arcadia could answer, they reached the cells. Hylla pushed open the door, but she instantly cursed. Kinzie glanced into the room. The cells were empty.

"Did anyone move him?" Kinzie asked. She glanced at Sarah.

"No," Sarah responded. "He escaped, or someone let him out."

Arcadia crossed her arms and gave Sarah a look. Hylla also turned on the demititan. Sarah watched them and glared angrily.

"You wanted revenge," Hylla began.

"Don't even start," Sarah hissed. "I saved your little sister from the drakon. I stood with the Greeks through everything. Don't you dare accuse me of this."

"Then, who would do it?" Hylla demanded. For a moment, she looked at Kinzie.

"Hylla, I would never," Kinzie began. There was no way that Hylla could accuse her. Kinzie had spent a long time with the Arimaspi trying to turn her. It had not worked.

"They're turning us against each other," Sarah muttered after a moment. "Thorn could have gotten into this base, and I bet you that is what happened."

After a moment, Hylla nodded. She grabbed Kinzie and pulled her close. Hylla kissed her cheek and spoke, "I am so sorry."

"It's okay," Kinzie promised. "We should go look for the scouts though. Then, we all need to have a meeting and make a plan."


	36. With Friends Like These

Reyna examined herself in the mirror. For a few moments, she examined the new scars on her back. Her attention then turned to the tattoo that had been given to her by Quirinus. Even with the scars, it didn't look any different.

She stared ahead for a few moments. Then, Reyna grabbed her shirt and slowly managed to slip it on. Her attention turned to her armor. Arcadia had delivered it completely repaired and polished. The goddess was waiting outside the room.

It took Reyna a few minutes to put her armor on. It was extremely difficult with an injured arm. She couldn't really bend her arm or move it. Her knee supported her weight enough to walk, but it still hurt. Reyna took a deep breath. There was only a dull ache.

Reyna finished putting on her armor. She examined the helmet that had been given to her. It was a standard Roman helmet, and that sent relief through her. Reyna tucked the helmet underneath her arm. There was a knock on the door.

"The meeting starts soon," Arcadia said through the door. "I would love to skip it, but apparently, all of the leaders need to be there."

"I'm coming," Reyna promised. She looked at herself one more time in the mirror. It had been a day since Atropos told her that Leo and Hazel had been spared.

After Atropos left, it took two hours for Reyna to even begin telling Martha about the war. Reyna couldn't even tell the full story, but she told Martha about the temple of Fates. It had been harder than she imagined.

Reyna shook her head and turned around. She opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom. Arcadia and Martha were waiting for her.

"Don't forget to visit," Martha said. Her eyes studied Reyna for a long moment. A smile came to her face. "I look forward to it."

"I won't forget," Reyna promised after a moment. She clenched her fist and looked at Arcadia. "Ready?"

"Yes," Arcadia answered. She grabbed Reyna's left shoulder and gripped it tightly. For some reason, it felt like a protective gesture. "Close your eyes."

Reyna closed her eyes silently. She felt like they were spinning. When she opened her eyes, they were standing inside of a room. Reyna slowly looked around.

There was a large table in the middle of the room. Various reports were laying on it. Chairs were scattered about. Arcadia looked at her and waited.

"Do we just sit?" Reyna questioned. Arcadia nodded. It took a moment for Reyna to place her helmet down and take a seat near the edge of the table. Arcadia sat on her right.

"Have I missed anything important?" Reyna wondered. Arcadia glanced at her and seemed to think.

"Oh, one of the Arimaspi escaped," Arcadia answered. Reyna stared at her.

"Atticus escaped?" Reyna asked. They had the perfect opportunity to kill him, and the Greeks squandered it. It took her a few moments to calm herself. Atropos told her that she needed to keep her anger in check.

"Is that his name?" Arcadia wondered. Reyna nodded and bit her tongue. If she didn't talk, she couldn't lose her temper. "Then, yeah. He escaped. Some demititan scouts were slaughtered. May I speak honestly?"

Reyna froze. This was probably the first time a god or goddess had asked her for permission for anything. After a moment, she spoke, "Do you really need permission?"

"Well, your sister seems to hate my mouth," Arcadia responded. "And, Caesar always wanted me to ask his permission if we were not alone. Since anyone could walk in at anytime, I assume that this counts as not alone."

"You can speak honestly," Reyna said. She leaned back in her seat and mentally prepared herself. There was no telling what would come out of Arcadia's mouth. As Reyna waited, she fixed the sling on her right arm.

"This meeting is about what we are going to do next," Arcadia began. "I think they want to focus their attack on just one camp. We must divide our attention."

"Why?" Reyna asked. She shifted and winced. Arcadia raised an eyebrow. "I don't ask that because I am trying to start an argument. I am just trying to understand."

"We have about seven groups at our disposal. Three of them could siege Camp Half-Blood. The other three could siege Camp Jupiter. Demititans split themselves and help," Arcadia suggested.

Reyna thought about it for a few moments. She spoke, "What if we all attacked one? We could overtake the camp in a fell swoop."

"We risk the chance of reinforcements coming, and that could screw us," Arcadia countered. "We could attack one camp, and while they are distracted, we send a group to the other camp. They would have to be able to hold out though."

"Okay, we could send a strike team followed by reinforcements," Reyna added. Arcadia nodded. As she opened her mouth, someone stepped into the room.

Reyna turned her head and stared. It became very hard to swallow. Hylla stared back at her. After a moment, Reyna was on her feet and hugging her sister as tightly as she could with one arm.

"I am so sorry about what I said," Reyna whispered. Hylla hugged her back without hesitation. "I am so sorry. I want to take it all back."

"We have a lot to talk about," Hylla said in her ear. "We'll do that later. How are you?"

"I'm not okay," Reyna answered quietly. "But, I'm doing the best that I can."

Hylla rubbed her back and nodded. They both stood their for a few moments until Hylla pulled away. She gently placed a hand to Reyna's face and examined her eyes.

Reyna examined the faint scar on Hylla's neck. All she could remember was the words that she said. She regretted every single word.

Hylla finally let go and watched her.. She spoke, "You are a walking armory."

"I try my best," Reyna said with a small smirk. She looked down at herself. There was only her sword and rod on belt. There was also about five daggers attached to her armor. Reyna wouldn't consider herself a walking armory.

Reyna closed her eyes as she heard more footsteps. It could only go downhill from there. The best case scenario was that a demititan would walk through the door. The worst case was anyone else.

"What is she doing here?" Hank demanded. Reyna gritted her teeth and opened her eyes. A glance at Arcadia showed the goddess was about to open her mouth. Reyna gave her a look that said not to.

"We need the leader of the Sixth Legion," Hylla responded. "Arcadia is only a second in command."

"A centurion," Arcadia corrected. "And, I have been doing this for around five hundred years. You are a Senator, yes?"

"I am," Hank responded. Arcadia laughed like she found something funny, but she tried to cover it with a cough. "Is there something wrong?"

"There's something hilarious," Arcadia muttered. "Where is the rest of the Senate? And, you have a praetor, do you not?"

"Our praetor is coming," Hank answered. "It was decided that I would be here as well. Larry and I agreed on it."

"Hmm. Two emperors do not make a good empire," Arcadia commented. "Of course, you two are just Senators, right?"

Hank glared at Arcadia and sat as far away as he could. Reyna silently grabbed a report and started to read it. She was halfway through it when more people started to file in. It took all of her willpower to keep her eyes on the report.

Reyna could feel someone's eyes glaring into her. A glance up showed it was Frank. In a moment, she decided that would be the first person she talked to. Reyna sat the report on the table.

"Frank, can we talk before the meeting begins?" Reyna asked. She kept her tone emotionless. Frank looked at her for a long moment, and he finally nodded.

A hand grabbed her knee and squeezed it. Reyna met her sister's eyes and gave her a small nod. After that, she stood and limped out of the room. Reyna ran right into Annabeth.

The two stared at each other for a long moment. Annabeth opened her mouth, but she seemed to notice Frank. The daughter of Athena gave Frank a look, and she stepped back.

Reyna stepped out of the room. She bit the inside of her cheek as she realized that Annabeth would be joining the conversation. Reyna walked into a room that was filled with boxes.

The daughter of Bellona turned and waited. Her mind was racing about what to say. Reyna still didn't know what she would say as Frank and Annabeth walked in. It was hard to read their expressions.

"What do you want?" Frank questioned. He crossed his arms. Reyna studied Frank. It seemed like the only thing he wanted to do was protect Hazel, and she could respect that.

"My legion can do whatever you need," Reyna began. "And, Atropos will spare Leo and Hazel."

"What about every other Greek and Roman she might want you to kill?"Annabeth questioned. Her tone was suspicious. Frank's eyes were wide, and he seemed to still be processing the information.

"Spared," Reyna answered. "We should get to the meeting."

Reyna went to walk past them. Annabeth grabbed her arm and spoke, "What did you have to do to convince her?"

"It's nothing I can't handle," Reyna responded. She didn't tell them them that she had just asked. There was no way to tell what they would think. It might even make the situation worse.

"I am sorry," Reyna continued. "I know that words aren't going to magically fix everything, but I thought you should know."

Annabeth and Frank both studied her for a long time. Their gazes made Reyna want to squirm, but she stayed focused by staring ahead. After a moment, she spoke, "Shall we return to the meeting?"

Reyna didn't wait for an answer. She just walked out of the room and back into the meeting room. Upon catching Sarah's eyes, the demititan nodded to her. Reyna nodded back.

While she was gone, Larry had also joined and was sitting next to Hank. It angered Reyna just to see him. She looked away and met Percy's eyes. He glared. Almost everyone in the room seemed to hate her.

Reyna finally decided to stare at the table as more people filed in. All she wanted was for the meeting to be over. Someone grabbed her shoulder and squeezed it tightly. It took about two seconds for the grip to become painful.

"After this, we must talk," a voice hissed in her ear. Reyna found it hard to swallow. She knew the voice belonged to Artemis. The tight grip disappeared, and Artemis walked around the table. Everyone had their eyes on her.

Artemis sat across from Reyna and stared into her eyes. The goddess did not seem to be in a good mood. Reyna could not meet her eyes. All she did was stare at the table.

Behind her, a door slammed into a wall. Reyna flinched and slowly looked at the source of the noise. Clarisse was standing at the doorway. Her face was extremely red, and there was tears in her eyes.

"Why did no one tell me?" Clarisse yelled. She marched towards Annabeth and hit the table in anger. "Did you know about Chris?"

"Clarisse, this isn't the time," Annabeth began. Clarisse hit the table again.

"Why did no one tell me that Chris worked for the Arimaspi?" Clarisse yelled. "Did it not seem important? He was my boyfriend! And, no one thought they should tell me what happened!"

"This meeting is funner than I thought it would be," Arcadia commented under her breath. Reyna shot her a look. She looked back at Clarisse.

"I am sorry, but I didn't know how to break the news. Can we talk about this later?" Annabeth questioned.

"No," Clarisse responded. "We are not playing this game, princess. You cannot always have your way. I'm sick and tired of it."

"We thought it would be best to withhold the information," Percy began. Clarisse slammed her hand into the table, and it buckled from the force of her hit.

"You two are not as smart as you think," Clarisse hissed. "Annabeth thought it would be best to reveal Reyna's patricide, and that got Reyna exiled. That caused a large crack in the Romans, and everyone refuses to acknowledge it. The Romans now have a praetor with no power and two idiot Senators."

"Wait a minute," Hank interrupted. He stood and opened his mouth. "You do not have the right to talk to me like that."

"You have the right to shut up," Clarisse snapped as she turned on him. "Everyone can see that you are incompetent, but we are stuck with you. The barbarians and Arimaspi are going to kick our asses, and I know exactly who to blame for that."

Clarisse stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut. The force knocked the door clean off of its hinges. No one said a word for a few moments.

"Well, I like her," Arcadia commented. Reyna shot her a look. They really didn't need anyone else angry at them.

"We need to postpone the meeting," Percy said as he stood. He glanced at Annabeth. "I will go after Clarisse."

Reyna watched Annabeth also stand. They both exited the room. Then, Artemis' eyes settled on Reyna. The goddess spoke, "Reaper, we are going to talk alone."

Everyone else took that as their sign to leave. They all stood and started to walk out. The only ones to stay were Hylla and Arcadia.

"Alone," Artemis repeated. Arcadia glanced at Reyna, and the daughter of Bellona nodded. It took a few moments for Arcadia to stand. She grabbed onto Hylla's shoulder and pulled her out of the room.

Reyna watched them go, and she swallowed painfully. It took her a moment to look back at Artemis. The goddess watched her closely. Reyna had a feeling she was in big trouble.


	37. Speculatores

Annabeth rubbed her face tiredly. She had chased Clarisse down the hall, but the daughter of Ares simply disappeared behind a steel door. There was no way to open it, and none of the demititans seemed keen to help. She had gone back to the meeting room only to find Artemis and Reyna staring at each other. When she tried to back out, Artemis told her to stay.

Now, they were sitting in silence. It had been like that for the past twenty minutes. Reyna refused to look up at Artemis, and the goddess refused to look away from the daughter of Bellona. It was probably the awkwardest situation that Annabeth had ever been in.

The door opened behind them. Annabeth slowly turned. She saw Frank walk in followed by a woman. Annabeth stared at the two but was glad that something had interrupted the staring contest.

The woman's mere presence demanded respect. She wore a full set of Roman armor and had to be about six feet tall. The woman had tawny hair and piercing eyes. There was something about her that was familiar, but Annabeth couldn't put her finger on it.

"Are we interrupting something?" Frank slowly asked. Artemis stood and looked at them. She walked towards Reyna and stopped in front of her.

"You killed two of my Hunters. How many more people are you going to unjustly kill before this war is over with?" Artemis demanded. When no response was given, Artemis shook her head in disgust. She stalked out of the room.

A heavy silence blanketed the room. The woman cleared her throat. She made a motion towards Reyna and spoke, "I assume this is the exile."

"Yeah," Frank replied. "Reyna, this is Boudica. She's one of the Speculatores. Lupa sent her here."

Annabeth had no clue what a Speculatores was. It seemed to be something important. If Lupa was sending someone, they had to be pretty skilled.

"I'm suppose to stabilize the Romans, and I will do whatever I must do," the woman said. Reyna slowly looked up. "Now, you are an exile, but you still interact with those from Camp Jupiter."

"Are you going to ban me from talking to them?" Reyna asked. "You don't any authority to do that."

The woman smiled coldly. She spoke, "If I was in charge, I would have you flogged. Fifty lashes for the fifty Romans that died because of your mistakes."

"They sacrificed their lives to stop Ouranos," Reyna said. Annabeth could see how angered the daughter of Bellona was. She was keeping her temper though.

"And, you ran from the battlefield like a coward," the woman commented. Reyna closed her eyes. "That alone should have forced the Senate to exile you. Instead, they made you a dictator. Why punish failure?"

Reyna stood and tried to stalk away. The woman grabbed her shoulder and spoke, "Don't talk to another Roman. Understood?"

"No," Reyna hissed. "You have no authority over me, so I do not have to listen to you. If you'll excuse me, I need to talk to the Senators."

Reyna walked out without another word. The woman watched her go. A small smile came to her face. Annabeth examined the woman again and tried to find out what was so familiar about her.

"You must be Annabeth Chase," the woman said turning on Annabeth. She held out a hand. "My name is Boudica. I am a spy of sorts for Lupa."

Annabeth slowly shook Boudica's hand. She tried to guess what Boudcia's age was, but nothing came to mind. Annabeth spoke, "It's nice to meet you."

"It's odd being here," Boudica admitted. "I haven't had much interaction with Camp Jupiter. When we go to Lupa, she pulls us aside if we are special. I trained for ten years for this position."

"What do you do?" Annabeth questioned. "And, I feel like you sought me out for a reason."

"I gather information for Lupa and Camp Jupiter," Boudica answered. "Protecting the Romans is my only job. Now, I need to know about the daughter of Bellona. She seems to be long past the verge of a mental breakdown."

"Reyna's had it really hard for the past month," Annabeth began. "The world has been put on her shoulder, and it's just getting to her. Reyna needs time."

"What has she done that can be considered an abuse of power or an outright crime?" Boudica questioned. She stood with her arms behind her back. There was something hungry in her eyes.

"I don't know," Annabeth replied with a shrug. It felt odd to lie, but there was something about Boudica that she didn't like. "I've been focused on just trying to keep the Greeks together."

Boudica watched her for a long moment. She finally nodded and walked out of the room. Frank nodded to Annabeth and walked out of the room as well.

Annabeth sighed and closed her eyes. It seemed like Reyna was in trouble, again. There was a good chance that Reyna would need help out of her new situation. When didn't she need help though?

Her mind drifted to the news about Leo and Hazel. They had been spared by Atropos, but it didn't matter. Reyna was only trying to make up for all of the bridges she had burned. She would have to do a lot more.

Annabeth sighed. After the war, she thought about cutting ties with Reyna. They were friends, but the daughter of Bellona had done horrible things. That destructive path could only get worse.

Maybe, she wasn't giving Reyna enough credit. Reyna did manage to get Atropos to spare Leo and Hazel. That was an impressive feat. She had also been taking steps to make things up to Annabeth. She even saved Annabeth's life.

After thinking it over, she decided to give Reyna one more chance. The daughter of Bellona was struggling, but she was also doing her best. If Reyna kept trying to make things up, it would be okay.

Annabeth sighed and opened her eyes. She took off down the hallway. Her next step was to find Reyna. They needed to talk about the Huns and Sixth Legion. Annabeth wanted to work out a plan for how to use them in battle.

She remembered that Reyna was going to see the Senators. With any luck, Reyna wouldn't kill them. Annabeth sighed and pulled a map out of her pocket. The new demititan base was vast, and she had yet to learn every hallway.

Most of the map was in the language of the Titans. Whoever made it had been nice enough to add in some English translations. Hank and Larry had their own room next to the stadium sized room that the Romans were in. Annabeth headed there.

It took three minutes to walk through the hallways. Many demititans ran past her as they ran errands. Some nodded to hers. Others gave her a glare. Annabeth felt like they knew more about her than she did about them.

Annabeth stopped as she heard a yell. Then, she ran towards the noise and stopped outside of the room that belonged to Hank and Larry. What she saw should have surprised her, but it didn't.

Reyna was holding a sword in her left hand. The sword was covered in blood. Both Hank and Larry were on the ground. Hank had been stabbed in the chest, and Larry had been stabbed in the throat. They were both dead.

Boudica was on the opposite side of the room with her sword unsheathed. Reyna slowly looked at Annabeth and shook her head. There was a shocked look in her eyes. She spoke, "Annabeth, I didn't. I swear."

"Don't lie to her," Boudica ordered. "Drop the weapon."

"I didn't," Reyna protested. She looked like she wanted to say more, but the words weren't forming. Reyna closed her eyes and took a few, deep breaths. When she opened her eyes, there was an even more desperate look in her eyes. "Annabeth, you have to believe me."

Annabeth shook her head. Her eyes stayed focused on the blood on the sword. She spoke, "Why?"

"I found her threatening the Senators," Boudica interrupted. "She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, there was a crazed look in her eyes. That is when she attacked the Senators and killed them."

Reyna dropped the sword and stared down a her hands. She shook her head like she was in shock. Reyna slowly spoke, "I...I...I didn't do it. I swear."

Boudica moved faster than Annabeth could blink. The Speculatores grabbed Reyna and slammed her into the table. Reyna cried out in pain and tried to struggle. Boudica easily kept her pinned to the table.

"Where is the rest of the Senate?" Boudica asked Annabeth. She pressed Reyna's face into the table, but Reyna looked like she was in another world. Her eyes were unfocused.

"That was the Senate," Annabeth whispered. "Between the war, assault on Camp Jupiter, and the prison camp, it has annihilated the Senate. Frank is the only one alive above the rank of centurion."

Boudica closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Boudica spoke, "This has gone on too long. I am going to call the Romans together."

"What are you going to do?" Annabeth slowly asked. She met Reyna's eyes. Annabeth couldn't believe that she had been willing to give Reyna one more chance. The daughter of Bellona was beyond redemption.

"She has gone unpunished for too long," Boudica replied. "I am going to publicly punish the exile. Then, I never want to see her near my Romans again."

"I didn't do it," Reyna whispered. She sounded like she was about to have a panic attack. Annabeth met Reyna's eyes. This was not someone that Annabeth knew.

"I'll get the Romans for you," Annabeth offered. For a moment, she stared at Reyna. Then, she turned her back on her former friend and walked out of the room.


	38. A Little Barbaric

Reyna struggled to control her breathing. A panic attack threatened to break out at any moment. She no longer knew what to believe. Reyna swore that she had not killed the Senators. She saw Boudica do it.

Boudica had stabbed Hank and then turned her attention to Larry. The two were dead before Reyna even blinked. Boudica shoved the sword into Reyna's hands and was across the room in a second. Annabeth had then walked in.

When Boudica told Annabeth what had happened, Reyna remembered doing exactly as Boudica had said. It didn't make sense though. She knew that she had not kill them, or was she just going insane? Was she making herself believe things that didn't happen and was just ignoring the truth?

Now, her hands were tied in front of her. She was on her knees, and every Roman had their eyes on her. Reyna slowly looked up before looking back down.

Boudica had dragged her into the room and told Frank what had happened. For some reason, Frank gave Boudica the title of dictator. It was the same title that Reyna had received during the war with Ouranos. A dictator had absolute control of the Romans at Camp Jupiter.

"Don't," Reyna whispered as she looked up. Boudica turned on her. She was already wearing the black cloak. Boudica knelt by Reyna and grabbed her face.

"You killed the two Senators," Boudica hissed. Her nails dug into Reyna's face. "You caused fifty Romans to die, and who knows how many more died because of your incompetence. You attacked our allies. It is time to pay."

"You killed them," Reyna whispered. She couldn't raise her voice above a whisper. All of the Romans stood there in silence. They were waiting to see what would happen.

"No, you killed them," Boudica responded. "You remember the anger that you felt in your chest. They were insulting you, and you just snapped."

Reyna stared at the ground. She could see the memory in her head, but she did not kill them. Why was she remembering it as if she had done it? Did she kill the Senators? Her breathing became more panicked.

"It's the guilt," Boudica whispered. She stood and turned around. "I know that you Romans have never seen me before. I am a Speculatores for Lupa. She sent me to bring order to you all."

"I will start with our exile," Boudica continued. She started to pace. "She has destroyed the image that we all associate with a Roman. Her failures have cost us more than fifty Romans. That is just one of her many crimes. Now, it is time for punishment."

"She's already exiled," Gwen interrupted. Reyna slowly looked up at her. Gwen was already nudging her way through the crowd to get to the front. "The temple of the Fates was not Reyna's fault. She shouldn't be punished for what happened there."

"What is your name?" Boudica questioned. She motioned for Gwen to come forward. There was something cruel in her voice.

"Gwen, don't," Reyna said. Her voice raised above a whisper. She couldn't allow for Gwen to be punished for her mistakes. "Please just go back in line."

"Now, the exile is making sense," Boudica commented. "I would get back in line, centurion. You don't want to do anything that you would regret, do you?"

Gwen met Reyna's eyes. After a moment, something in her eyes hardened. Gwen spoke, "I don't want to regret anything. That's why I say that you shouldn't punish Reyna unfairly."

"She helped rescue everyone at the prison camp," Gwen continued. "Reyna saved all of us from Caelus. Why is she facing punishment without a trial?"

"There is no trial to give," Boudica replied. "I saw her commit the crime with my own two eyes. We are all accountable for our actions. If you don't sit back down, I will have you exiled as well."

"Stop," Reyna said as she went to stand. Before she could blink, she was on the ground with searing pain in her arm. Boudica's knee dug into the back of her neck. It sent panic through her.

Gwen tackled Boudica to the ground. She got one punch in before three Romans pulled her off. They wrestled Gwen to the ground and kept her pinned.

Reyna slowly rolled onto her back and sat up. The pain in her shoulder and arm was agonizing. Boudica stood and spat a tooth out.

"That was a big mistake centurion," Boudica hissed. "Would anyone else like to ruin their life by defending this exile?"

Reyna saw Hazel near the back of the room, but she was starting to make her way to the front. Reyna met her eyes and shook her head. Another person shouldn't be punished for what she had done.

"Let Gwen go," Reyna whispered. She cradled her arm the best that she could considering her wrists were tied together. Boudica turned towards her.

"No," Boudica responded. "She has chosen the wrong side, and she will pay. You are going to pay as well. As dictator of this camp, I sentence you to fifty lashes for the fifty Romans that died. An extra twenty will be added for the two Senators you killed."

Boudica knelt by Reyna and grabbed her face. She spoke in a whisper, "I might add another thirty in there because I hate your guts."

Reyna didn't respond. Panic was taking over. There was no way she could keep it together. She needed to leave. Two Romans walked towards her.

Before Reyna could even stand, she was kicked in the skull by Boudica. The two Romans pinned her to the ground. Reyna struggled with them as she started to have a panic attack.

This was just like the pirates. Two had pinned her down, and Blackbeard had given her twenty lashes. She couldn't do it again. Reyna did her best to struggle, but the Romans were too strong.

"Stop," Reyna cried. She felt a knife cut open the back of her shirt, and the flashbacks kicked in. This was exactly what Blackbeard had done. Reyna closed her eyes tightly.

"For crimes against Camp Jupiter and its people, I sentence this exile to one hundred lashes," Boudica said loud enough for the entire room to hear. Stunned silence filled the room.

"Stop," Frank said. Reyna slowly opened her. She could see Frank had made his way to the front of the crowd with Hazel. Four Romans instantly blocked their path. One of them had a black pin on their belt.

The two Romans that were pinning her both had a black pin on their chest. They were too old to be a part of the legion. In fact, she didn't recognize them as a part of any of the families that had lived at New Rome. Who were they?

"This is going too far," Frank continued. Before he could continue, one of the Romans holding him back punched him in the face. Frank was pinned a moment later. Hazel stepped forward but was tackled to the ground. Some of the Romans rushed forward.

"Enough!" Boudica yelled. Everyone stopped what they were doing. "That is enough! Do you see what is happening? They are letting their relationship with the exile get in the way! But, I do not have that relationship; therefore, it is my duty to punish the exile."

Reyna closed her eyes tightly. There was no way she could handle even hearing the sound of a whip. She spoke, "Boudica, I am begging you to not do this. Please."

"Now, you are going to beg?" Boudica asked. "A Roman would never beg. It is time to face your punishment, and no one is going to interrupt it. Understood?"

No one said anything. Reyna struggled with the two Romans that had her pinned. They didn't budge which meant she couldn't move. Reyna closed her eyes and tried to calm herself.

"Please," Reyna whispered. She heard the sound of a whip hitting the ground. Reyna struggled even more, but it did nothing to help. "Boudica, please. You don't have to do this."

"I do have to do this," Boudica said. She knelt by Reyna. "No one is going to save you. Your big sister isn't anywhere near here. Your little group of phony Romans and those damned Huns can't help. You are all alone."

Reyna closed her eyes tightly, but it didn't help any. There was nothing that could save her from her punishment. Her eyes opened without her permission. She stared at the whip in Boudica's hand.

"Please," Reyna whispered. Boudica chuckled and moved closer to Reyna's ear.

"I am very excited to do this," Boudica whispered. "I guess you could say that I am a little barbaric."

Reyna's eyes widened. Before she could say anything, Boudica stood. She raised the whip off of the ground. Reyna closed her eyes tightly as Boudica brought the whip down.


	39. Casus Belli

Arcadia leaned against a wall as she watched two members of her legion spar. Some blood had already been shed. On her left, there was a table full of American money. Timgad, a child of Mercury, spent the day before swindling the other idiots out of their money. Instead of burning it like Arcadia wanted, they were using it to bet on who would drop first.

The two fighting were Sparta and Hatra. Those two were the best hand to hand fighters that they had. Hatra couldn't hold a sword to save his damn life though. He always dove into battles with his bare fists.

Sparta was much different. She could use any weapon like it was an extension of her own arm. It made sense that she was a daughter of Mars. Sparta was only twenty years old, but she had been training since she was five. Arcadia personally trained her for ten of those years.

"You went for the nose," Hatra complained. He placed a hand to his bloody nose. Sparta rolled her eyes but kept her attention on Hatra. The two sparred once a week. They were also tied in wins.

"I can't hear you over the sound of you getting your ass kicked," Sparta commented. Her Russian accent was still prominent after all the years of being in Italy. The entire legion consisted of a plethora of different accents.

They recruited from all over the world. Olympians weren't suppose to go back to Europe, but when did Olympians ever do anything that they were suppose to do? Arcadia crossed her arms as she watched the fight.

"Hatra, I thought you could punch like you weren't a two year old," Sparta commented. She let her guard down for one moment. Hatra slammed his fist into her neck.

"Low blow!" Persepolis yelled. She was sixteen years old and the youngest member of the legion. There was great promise from her though.

Hatra flipped Sparta over his shoulder and locked her in an arm bar. He spoke, "Would you like to give up now, or should I go ahead and dislocate something?"

"Never," Sparta hissed. She did her best to escape the hold. Arcadia watched for a moment and decided on when to break the fight up. Sparta's pride would never allow her to give up.

Someone knocked on the door. Hatra relaxed his grip but didn't let go. The door opened, and Tyre walked in. It would be like him to ruin the mood.

"What are you two doing?" Tyre demanded. He crossed his arms and tried to not look like he had a giant pole up his ass.

"They're sparring," Arcadia answered. "And, they don't need you to ruin that."

"Maybe, they don't need their centurion to act like a child," Tyre said. He looked down at the two Romans who were still in the middle of a sparring match. "Enough. You two are suppose to be Romans, and this is how you act. The rest of you should get back to doing something productive."

"You don't need to be an asshole," Arcadia snapped. "You don't have to ruin all of the fun. Calm down for once."

Tyre turned towards her. He spoke, "I will not have you talk to me like that. You may be the older one, but the only thing you are is a child. It is not surprise that father and mother will not allow you back into Olympus. To think, father wanted you to be general of his army."

"What are you talking about?" Arcadia demanded as the room fell silent. Everyone was staring up at Tyre.

"The Olympians are at war," Tyre answered. "Father wanted you to return as his general. He thinks your time with the legion has changed you. From this, it obviously hasn't."

"What did mother say?" Arcadia slowly asked. Juno had promised that she would never allow Arcadia into Olympus again. If Zeus wanted it though, there was nothing Juno could do.

"She would allow it," Tyre responded. "You have to give up your position in the legion and not come back."

"Not come back?" Sparta interrupted. She was still locked in the arm bar, but all of her attention was on the two immortals. "Arcadia, you can't do that."

"The legion would suck without you," Hatra added. Other members of the legion added their opinions. Everything they said was positive, but it fell on deaf ears. The only thing Arcadia ever wanted was to go back to Olympus.

Arcadia stared at her brother. He watched her silently. Her mind was starting to race. To see Olympus, she would have to leave the legion. It was the only thing she really knew. Her father wanted her to be a general though.

"You're not seriously thinking of going, are you?" Hatra questioned. He released Sparta from the arm bar and stood. "We need you here."

Arcadia watched them. After a few moments, her attention turned to her brother. She was about to nod, but someone appeared at the door. It was a boy that Arcadia had never seen before.

The boy reeked of death. His brown eyes scanned the room, and he brushed black hair from his eyes. He spoke, "Which one of you is Arcadia?"

"Me," Arcadia answered. "Who are you?"

"I'm Nico, and I need your help," the boy answered. He shifted as every Roman stared at him. "Reyna is in trouble."

"What?" Arcadia demanded. She crossed her arms. "She was with Artemis. Did that goddess do anything to her?"

"No," Nico replied. "It's Boudica. She's having Reyna flogged."

It took Arcadia one second to process the words. She spoke, "Sparta and Hatra, you two are with me. Let's go."

Nico nodded and led them away. Arcadia followed him down a long hallway. The two turned a corner and saw two guards standing outside a door. One looked at Nico and sneered.

"I told you to leave boy," one of the guards hissed. He wore Roman armor and a black pin. Nico stepped forward, but one of the guards blocked his path.

"Sparta. Hatra," Arcadia said. She blinked, and the two guards were on the ground. The guard Sparta took out was unconscious. Hatra, of course, had his guard locked in an arm bar. Arcadia kicked the door open.

It took her a few moments to examine the large room. A crowd of Camp Jupiter losers were watching the scene in front of them. Guards with black pins kept the crowd back.

A woman stood over the imperator. She held a bloody whip in her hands. The imperator was being held down by two people, but she was unconscious. Arcadia stared at them in anger.

"What are you doing?" Arcadia yelled. She shoved past the crowd. Some large man tried to block her path, but Sparta tackled him to the ground. Arcadia stepped past them.

"I am punishing the exile," the woman answered. "She has already taken seventy lashes. Only thirty more to go."

"You will stop," Arcadia ordered. The woman examined her and tossed the whip aside. Then, she pulled out a dagger. The blade was curved and green. It seemed like there was something on the blade itself.

There was no way that the woman would attack her. If she did, Arcadia could absolutely destroy her. The only downside to being immortal was that mortals just couldn't be attacked. Since the woman seemed stupid enough to attack her, that wouldn't be a problem.

Arcadia went to grab her own sword. Before she could even grasp her sword handle, the woman stabbed her in the stomach. Arcadia stood there for a moment in shock. Pain took over a moment later.

"You are not as tough as you think," the woman hissed. Arcadia just stared. The pain was something she had never experienced before. No mortal should have been inflicted a wound that caused that much pain.

The woman slammed Arcadia into the wall. She moved her mouth to Arcadia's ear and whispered, "I made your little imperator my bitch. She was begging and pleading for me to stop. Do you think that I should let her wake up before I deliver the next thirty?"

"I'm going to kill you," Arcadia swore. She felt even more pain as the woman twisted the dagger. The pain traveled from her stomach to other areas. It almost felt like it was in her veins. Arcadia realized there had been poison on the dagger.

The woman threw Arcadia to the ground. Arcadia curled up on her side despite not wanting to. The pain caused her to do it. This was an entirely new sensation.

"Do you see these false Romans?" the woman questioned. The room fell silent. "We cannot allow them to divide us anymore. Get this trash out of here!"

Arcadia slowly looked around. She saw Sparta being strangled by the large man she had tackled earlier. Sparta tried to reach for the knife strapped to her leg but was having no luck.

Four Roman guards were pinning Nico to the ground, and he was putting up a fight. It took the four of them to grab Nico and carry him out of the room. The two Romans that held the imperator down were dragging her out of the room.

Arcadia gritted her teeth as she was pulled to her feet. The woman dragged her to the door and threw her outside. Arcadia hit the ground hard and tried to jump to her feet. The pain in her stomach stopped her.

It pissed her off. That woman had committed a crime. The only answer was war. Arcadia rolled onto her back and slowly pushed herself up using her elbows. She saw the large man throw Sparta out of the room.

Sparta instantly had a coughing fit as she hit the ground. She grabbed at her throat, and there was clear panic in her eyes. Hatra was standing by the two unconscious guards from Camp Jupiter. He hurried to Arcadia's side.

"Help Sparta. Now," Arcadia hissed. She slowly stood and tried to ignore the pain that now pulsed in her veins. Arcadia knelt next to her imperator and picked her up. Nico stared at them.

Hatra had already picked Sparta up and was halfway down the hallway. They disappeared as he turned a corner. Arcadia heard the door in front of them open. Another girl was thrown out by them.

It took a few moments for Arcadia to recognize the girl as the centurion that she met in Rome. Her name was Gwen. A quick glance at her arm showed that Gwen was no longer a centurion or even a member of Camp Jupiter.

Arcadia swallowed painfully. She motioned for the group to follow her as she limped away. It was hard enough to take her attention off of the pain, but she needed to.

It felt like hours before she reached the room that they were staying in. Arcadia pushed the door open. The first thing she saw was a small group clustered around Sparta. They were crowding the doctor, who looked very unhappy.

Sparta was still struggling to breath. The look in her eyes was clear though. She thought that she was going to die. Arcadia would not allow that.

Arcadia sat the imperator on the ground. She stepped towards the crowd and collapsed to her knees. The doctor, Avaris, turned towards her and went to help her.

"Save Sparta," Arcadia hissed. It was a calculated risk. Avaris was a child of Apollo, and she had the power of healing. It drained her immensely though. If Avaris healed Sparta, she wouldn't be able to heal anyone else.

After hearing the order, Avaris didn't hesitate. She placed both hands to Sparta's neck. Avaris started to whisper under her breath. Sparta closed her eyes. After a few, tense moments, her breathing returned back to normal.

Arcadia felt herself relax. She would gladly take any punishment that the imperator gave out for not being healed. It took her a few moments to think clearly.

"Help the imperator next," Arcadia ordered. She closed her eyes but felt Avaris grab her arm. It took her a few moments to open her eyes.

"I will help you. Thebes can clean the imperator's wounds, and then, I can help the imperator," Avaris said. She pulled Arcadia up and led her to a corner of the room. Arcadia sat on a bed and stared ahead. Only one thought ran through her head. Camp Jupiter had committed an act of war, and they would pay for it.


	40. Bellum

Arcadia stared up at the ceiling and moved a hand to feel her stomach. There was a bandage over her wound. It didn't make sense. Immortals really only received wounds from other immortals, and those wounds didn't require bandages. Something was very wrong, and it wasn't just the weakness that the poison made her feel.

If she had to guess, she would say it had something to do with the blade. One of the Romans, Bristol, was looking at it using a microscope. He was a son of Vulcan and the blacksmith for the legion. There was no weapon in the world that he didn't know about.

Her gaze moved to a corner of the room. Avaris had a bag of tools next to her along with a plethora of bandages. She had been working on the imperator's back for a hour. The imperator had not stirred once. It worried Arcadia.

Arcadia was on bed rest. She remembered other times when injured members of the legion had been ordered a few days of bed rest, but she still didn't understand what it meant. Why would anyone rest in bed? How was that suppose to speed up the healing process?

The entire room was dead silent, but everyone was working. Most of them were polishing their armor and putting it on. Some sharpened their weapons. They were expecting payback to be dealt swiftly. Arcadia more than agreed with that statement.

"Where is the needle at?" a voice asked. That broke the silence in the room, and everyone turned their attention to the boy that had just spoken. Arcadia studied the son of Hades named Nico. She was wondering how useful he would be.

Nico refused to move from Reyna's side, and he had been helping the doctor the entire time. His hands were shaking slightly, but otherwise, he seemed composed. The boy might even make a good member of the legion.

Arcadia then looked at the other girl in the room. Gwen slowly looked up and met her gaze. Then, the former centurion looked back down at her arm. The word exiliumstood out as a cruel reminder of what happened.

Since she stood up for the imperator, Gwen was stripped of her rank and exiled. She was taking it well but had not said a word after explaining what had happened. From what Arcadia had seen, Gwen could be a valuable asset.

"Sparta," Arcadia said. Sparta turned and looked at her. For a moment, Arcadia watched her. It was hard to tell how she felt about the mortal. Relationships between members of the legion was strictly forbidden, so it didn't really matter how she felt.

"Ma'am," Sparta said. She stood with her arms behind her back. Her military training was showing through once again. Sparta had spent two years as a Spestnaz soldier. Bristol glanced up as well.

Bristol, who was the oldest member of the legion at forty, was a former member of the British SAS. He spent ten years of his life in SAS, and that was before he even joined the legion. Arcadia was glad to have him though.

Arcadia motioned for Sparta to walk over. As the goddess tried to sit up, Avaris shot her a look. Arcadia rolled her eyes and laid back in the bed. This was the worst.

"Ma'am," Sparta repeated as she made it to the foot of Arcadia's bed. She knelt by Arcadia and watched her silently. Some Romans were starting to talk, so they could have a conversation in peace.

"What do you think about recruiting that former centurion?" Arcadia whispered. Sparta glanced to her right and nodded slightly. That was her sign of approval. "Can you talk her into it?"

"Yes ma'am," Sparta replied. She stood and walked towards Gwen. After a moment of talking, Gwen followed Sparta out of the room.

Arcadia laid her head back against a pillow. Her mind moved to the subject of war. Camp Jupiter had committed an act of war. The only question was if the imperator had the guts to go through with declaring war. In forty seven hours, it wouldn't matter.

It was a rule that Caesar had made. If he was not there for forty eight hours, leadership would transfer to Arcadia. It allowed for her to do what was necessary in case he was ever incapacitated. When leadership passed to Arcadia, she was going to declare war on Camp Jupiter.

A cruel smile came to her face. Camp Jupiter would pay for everything they had done to the imperator. There was no doubt about that. The door opened. Arcadia glanced up, and she lost her smile.

Two other goddesses walked into the room. One of them was Bellona. The Roman goddess of war glanced at Reyna, and for a few moments, there was so much pain in her eyes. It disappeared as she looked back at Arcadia.

Arcadia forced herself to sit up this time. She closed her eyes tightly and painfully stood. Why did it hurt so much? It was only a stupid dagger that had stabbed her.

The other goddess examined the room silently. Her wise eyes finally focused on Arcadia and spoke, "How do you feel?"

"Fine," Arcadia lied. Athena watched her for a moment. The two had never really talked and had met like twice before. Arcadia watched the two goddesses in front of her. The entire legion was watching in a stunned silence. "Can I help you two?"

"You can't go to war," Bellona said as if she could read Arcadia's mind. Her eyes moved back to the imperator, and she swallowed painfully. "It doesn't matter what Boudica did. She is there under Lupa's orders."

"Until Lupa tells me that to my face, I will not absolve Boudica of her crime. That was an act of war!" Arcadia snapped. "I should destroy them with the might of the entire legion."

"You won't." Athena ordered. She grabbed Arcadia's shoulder. "Think about this. We are already in a war. What good would it do to start another and divide us?"

"You should have Boudica answer that," Arcadia replied. "I think this conversation is over."

"If you want to be allowed back into Olympus, you will not declare war on Camp Jupiter," Athena said. It was her ultimatum. If it was anyone but Athena, they would have a smug undertone to their voice. They thought they could just hold the Olympus thing over Arcadia's head.

"No," Arcadia growled. "I am not having Olympus held over my head anymore. Father will either admit me or leave me alone. My punishment is to serve the imperator. That is what I will do. To serve the imperator, I will serve my legion, and we will go to war, unless I am otherwise commanded by the imperator."

"Reyna wouldn't want you to go to war," Bellona interrupted. "Camp Jupiter was her home."

"Was," Arcadia repeated. She watched the two goddesses in front of her and shook her head. "The imperator has done everything that she can for Olympus and Camp Jupiter. What thanks has she gotten?"

"Who told you about that?" Athena questioned. From her gaze, she didn't approve of Arcadia. That didn't matter. Arcadia didn't give a damn what they thought.

"What thanks has she gotten?" Arcadia demanded. "This is the entire reason the legion has stayed in Rome! Caesar knew how ungrateful you were. He knew that you would take and take but never give unless it suited you! Get out. Now."

"Arcadia, we are trying to help you," Bellona said. She looked around at the legion. "Maybe, we can speak alone."

"No," Arcadia hissed. "Get out."

Before Arcadia could blink, she was slammed into a wall. Bellona's hand wrapped around her neck, and the grip became crushing. Arcadia tried to pry Bellona's fingers from her neck. The grip on her neck made it impossible to breath.

"Do you understand what it feels like to watch your daughter systematically destroyed by her enemies, and you can't do anything to help her?" Bellona demanded. Even though it seemed impossible, the grip on Arcadia's neck tightened even more. "Do you?"

"No," Arcadia choked out. This was another new feeling to her. Juno had flung a few things at her, but she never tried to strangle Arcadia. Bellona glared at her.

"I am trying to help my daughter," Bellona hissed. "If you go to war, it will only make things worse. It will reflect poorly back on you and Reyna. Jupiter will want to kill you. Your mother will think she was right all along."

"Now, can we speak alone?" Bellona asked. Arcadia refused to respond. Then, the grip tightened more.

"Yes," Arcadia gasped. Bellona dropped her. Arcadia had a coughing fit. She watched the two goddesses walk out before she tried to catch her breath.

Someone knelt by her and helped her stand. Arcadia coughed miserably before she focused her eyes on Sparta. The Russian raised a concerned eyebrow and looked around for someone to explain. Hatra stepped forward.

"Bellona and Athena paid a visit," Hatra explained. "Arcadia, should we prepare for war?"

"I need to talk to the imperator first," Arcadia gasped. She turned her head and had another coughing fit. Her throat felt like it had been crushed. She rubbed her neck.

"It's hard to do when she is unconscious," Hatra muttered. Arcadia nodded her agreement. She started to cough again. Her breathing was slowly returning to normal.

"Bristol, can you run interference?" Arcadia questioned. Bristol looked up but nodded. "Take Sparta with you. I need time to talk to the imperator."

Arcadia walked towards the imperator's side. She couldn't control anyone's dreams, but she could enter them. If someone was not dreaming, she just had to think of a place, and that was where the dream took place. Hopefully, the imperator wasn't having a good dream.

Arcadia placed a hand to the imperator's shoulder. She closed her eyes. When Arcadia opened her eyes, she was standing in a room. There was a closet to her left and a dresser across from her. A bed was next to her dresser, and the imperator was sitting on that bed.

"Where are we?" Arcadia asked softly. The imperator slowly looked up at her, but the look in her eye was not that of an imperator. At the moment, she was just a teenager who had the crushing weight of the world on her shoulders.

There was no response for a minute. It became clear that the imperator wasn't going to respond. She just stared at the ground as if it would give her an answer. Arcadia grabbed her shoulder.

"Reyna, you're safe," Arcadia promised. "A boy named Nico told us that you were in trouble. I'm sorry I wasn't there earlier."

"I didn't kill them," Reyna whispered. "I swear that I didn't, but no one believes me. Arcadia, you have to believe me. Please."

"I do," Arcadia promised immediately. Reyna shook her head and looked down even more. Arcadia slowly grabbed her shoulder, and Reyna looked up. After staring into the imperator's eyes, the goddess nodded. "I do believe you."

"Why would Boudica frame me?" Reyna mumbled. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "This is my home. It was my home. The only thing that I want in life is to be back at Camp Jupiter, but that won't happen. What do I do?"

"I don't know," Arcadia answered truthfully. She slowly rubbed Reyna's shoulder. "Your mother and Athena are breathing down my neck. They want to know what I am going to do, so I need your orders."

"I don't care," Reyna mumbled. "Anytime I am in charge, people die. I shouldn't be making decisions."

"Imperator," Arcadia began. After a moment, she took a deep breath. "Reyna, you cannot talk like that. You are a natural born leader."

Reyna shook her head. This was just a shell of a warrior. Arcadia hated to see that. She swallowed painfully and spoke, "Reyna, I need your orders. I was thinking that we move the Sixth Legion from the demititans' camp."

"We are use to camping out in the wilderness," Arcadia continued. "It would not be a burden to us. All I need is your order."

After a few moments, Reyna nodded. She spoke, "I agree. How fast can you have the legion moving?"

"We could be marching in ten minutes, but I'm sure there are some things we must take care of first," Arcadia replied. "I will send a message to your sister. The Huns are at the camp as well. Shall I bring them?"

Reyna nodded. She didn't seem keen to talk anymore. It was like she had retreated into a shell, but Arcadia just needed her to talk for a little bit more.

"Your mother and Athena do not want us to go to war with Camp Jupiter," Arcadia began. "In two days, I can make that call if you are still unconscious and unable to lead. If you wake before them, you can give me your answer."

"No," Reyna muttered. It seemed like she had to force herself to look up and meet Arcadia's eyes. After a moment, Reyna took a deep breath. "We are going to war with Camp Jupiter."


	41. Bellum Omium Contra Omnes

Information was something that Kinzie thrived on. It gave her the edge that she needed. That was one of the reasons she loved to work the front desk at the Amazon headquarters. She knew everything that was taking place in their headquarters. Now, information was sparse but desperately needed.

There was a certain buzz in the meeting room. Kinzie couldn't tell if it was good or bad. At the moment, all she could focus on was her girlfriend. Hylla was looking around the room as if she knew something was wrong.

Across from them, a smug woman named Boudica was staring at Hylla. There was specks of blood on Boudica's face. Her hands were literally covered in blood. The only question was who the blood belonged to.

Sarah was watching them closely. She had Ulysses on her right. There was a tired look to the demititans. From what Kinzie knew, they had been up almost all day organizing defenses. As great as the fortress was for space, it was terrible for actual defense and living in.

Kinzie didn't think that anyone else besides the demititans knew that. She only knew because she had thoroughly explored and gotten lost. Kinzie leaned back and watched Annabeth. The daughter of Athena also looked exhausted.

The door opened, and two armored Romans walk in. Kinzie stared at both of them. One was a man who looked to be in his fifties. He had graying hair that seemed to have once been black. His brown eyes were relaxed.

The other one, a woman, had to be about twenty years old. Her eyes were brown and seemed to be on high alert. She studied everyone in the room. Most of her brown hair was hidden beneath a beret.

"Sparta, would you like to stand or sit," the man questioned. Sparta's eyes scanned the room once. Her eyes focused on Boudica for a few moments.

"Stand, Bristol," Sparta replied. It was hard to place her accent, but it was kind of hot. Kinzie mentally slapped herself.

"Queen Hylla, we have a message for you," Bristol said turning towards Hylla. He handed her a letter. Then, he turned towards Sarah and held out another letter. "This is for you. I apologize, but I do not know your name."

"It's Sarah. What is this?" Sarah questioned as she took the letter. Bristol watched her for a moment and turned towards Boudica.

"Is your little imperator still screaming like a little bitch?" Boudica questioned. There was a smug smile in her face. Kinzie felt her heart drop to her stomach. The mood in the room became extremely tense.

"What are you talking about?" Hylla demanded as she sat forward. Her entire body was tense. Kinzie grabbed Hylla's arm to calm her down. Boudica looked at them with a smirk.

"Your little sister paid for her crimes," Boudica replied. She glanced at Sparta. "You were there. I remember you were getting your throat crushed. Did you hear how many lashes I was at?"

"I'm going to kill you," Hylla snapped. She tried to jump to her feet, but Kinzie held her down. This was not something that Hylla could blow up over. There was a good chance that she would only make it worse.

"She begged for me to stop," Boudica taunted. Hylla cursed at her in Spanish. She looked ready to lung, and the only thing that seemed to stop her was Kinzie.

Kinzie gripped Hylla's arm tightly. She rubbed her shoulder and tried to calm her girlfriend down. Instead of fighting with Boudica, they needed to find Reyna.

"The Sixth Legion has decided to extract themselves from this camp," Bristol said. He acted like the entire exchange had not taken place. "The Huns are coming as well. On that paper, we have marked our location. You can join us, but if you decide not to, we ask that you burn the paper."

Kinzie stared at them. Then, she glanced at the letter. Hylla grabbed it and stuffed it into her pocket. She spoke, "Tell the Amazons to prepare to leave."

"You're retreating? Cowards" Boudica commented. She laughed and drummed her fingers on the table. Before anyone could react, a knife slammed into Boudica's hand and pinned it to the table.

Boudica stared at the knife for a long time. She seemed more surprised than anything. Sparta kept her hand on the knife's handle. Boudica spoke, "You dare?"

"I don't dare anything," Sparta responded. "I want you to consider this our declaration of war. Camp Jupiter and anyone that they consider an ally are subject to termination."

"War?" Annabeth interrupted. She sat forward and stared at them. "You can't declare war on us! We have to work together to face the Arimaspi threat."

"No," Sparta snapped. "There is no more together. Our imperator was attacked, and that was an act of war! It will not be ignored."

Boudica glared and spoke, "You are going to pay for this disrespect. Is that understood?"

Sparta smiled coldly. Then, she let go of the knife handle and turned away. Sparta walked out of the room, and Bristol followed.

Kinzie felt Hylla pull her to her feet. She followed her girlfriend out of the room. It didn't take long to catch up to Sparta and Bristol. The two Romans looked at them.

"Where is Reyna?" Hylla demanded. "How hurt is she?"

"She is safe," Bristol promised. "Her back is bad, but she is not in pain. Are the Amazons going to join us?"

"We will," Hylla promised. She clenched her fist. "Kinzie, you go with them. I will get the Amazons."

Kinzie nodded. She knew that Hylla would explode if she saw Reyna. Hylla would need time to calm down.

The two Romans nodded for Kinzie to follow. After a few moments, she did. They walked through many hallways before stopping outside of a room that had two fully armored Romans outside it. One nodded to Bristol, and they stepped aside.

"Weapons," Sparta said. She was right next to Kinzie. "Now."

Kinzie nodded. She slowly handed Sparta her dagger. The Roman then started to pat Kinzie down without another word. After Sparta finished and nodded, Bristol opened the door.

The first thing Kinzie saw was Reyna laying in a bed. The bed was in a corner of the room, and someone was sitting by the bed. Their features were hidden, but they were putting tools away. Reyna's back was covered in a bandage.

"Where is Arcadia?" Kinzie slowly asked. A glance around the room showed that every Roman was watching her. Gwen sat next to another boy who Kinzie slowly recognized as Nico.

"She is talking with Bellona and Athena," Bristol replied. "With some luck, we will be able to leave here without any further incident."

Kinzie nodded, but everything was moving too fast. She wanted to find Hylla and tell her that they couldn't just leave. They all needed to work together, even if they didn't like each other. How could she tell Hylla that though? Boudica had crossed a line and committed a crime that could not be forgiven.

"Did Arcadia give the order to go to war?" Kinzie questioned. A glance around the room showed that the Romans were packed up. They were ready to leave. Words alone would not stop them.

"No," Nico replied. "Reyna gave the order."

"Are you just going to go with it?" Kinzie asked. "That would mean you would be in a war against Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood. You could convince her to take the order back."

"I'm not going to fight against Camp Half-Blood, and I know that Reyna won't hurt Hazel or Will. That's all I care about," Nico explained. Kinzie knew she had hit a wall. There would be no convincing them at the moment. They needed time to calm down.

Kinzie turned and found Sparta staring her down. There was something to Sparta's eyes. It seemed to be a warning look.

Sparta walked towards her and smiled coldly. She spoke in a low tone, "If I were you, I would find a nice corner to sit in. War is going to happen, and you will not stop it."

"Are you trying to bully me?" Kinzie asked. She kept her voice at a normal tone. Some Romans glanced at them. "War is only going to divide us more. I'm more angered than any of you by this, but we have to be reasonable."

"We are being reasonable," Sparta hissed. She grabbed Kinzie and slammed her into a wall. "I don't understand why you Americans are so soft."

Kinzie remained silent. It was hard to anger her, so she wasn't rattled by Sparta's little display. It showed the Roman lacked control though. Kinzie just stared into Sparta's eyes and didn't move a muscle.

"And, you better make sure that your little girlfriend doesn't screw this up," Sparta continued. "We both know how weak willed she is."

Kinzie didn't really understand what those words meant. That didn't stop her from shoving Sparta away and punching her in the face. It took her a few moments to register what she had done. Then, Sparta tackled her to the ground. Kinzie caught the first punch, but the second one caught her on the mouth.

A hand grabbed her neck, but someone pulled Sparta off of her. Kinzie scrambled backwards and stared up at Bristol. He was holding Sparta back, but she was struggling to get free.

"Enough," Bristol snapped. His voice was more commanding than before. Sparta instantly stopped struggling, and she seemed to realize what she had done. Kinzie sat up and placed a hand to her bloody lip. A ring on Sparta's finger had cut it open.

Bristol snapped something in Latin, and Sparta nodded slightly. She walked towards a small group of Romans and kept her back to Kinzie. After a moment, Bristol held his hand out.

"I am sorry," Bristol said. Kinzie took his hand and was pulled to her feet. She knew that tensions were running high, and that was one of the reasons that she had punched Sparta in the face. It was also because no one was allowed to talk bad about Hylla.

"It's okay," Kinzie replied. She wiped the blood from her lip. "Is there anything I can do to help you guys?"

"No," Bristol responded. "We are ready to leave as soon as the queen of the Amazons gets here."

Kinzie nodded. She shot a glance at Reyna. While Reyna looked peaceful, it was clear that she would be in pain as soon as she was awake. Anger burned in Kinzie's chest, and war started to seem like a good idea.


	42. Audere Est Facere

_"I have eyes on the target," Sarah said into the microphone that was embedded in her hood. Hopefully, the rain wouldn't bother the microphone. She adjusted herself and peered down the scope. Her eyes focused on the rather hot target. If Sarah wasn't already dating someone and didn't have to kill the girl, she would totally ask her out._

 _Sarah studied the girl just to make sure that it was the right one. The girl had black hair, black eyes, and a scar on her eyebrow. The scar was the most emphasized part of the file._

 _Two girls sat with the target. One looked like an older version of her. The other was some girl Sarah had never seen before. They weren't paying attention to their surroundings, so it would be an easy shot. It didn't feel right to Sarah though._

 _"Can you take the shot?" the voice on the other end asked. Sarah smiled at the sound of her girlfriend's voice. Alex hated the rain, and they were in the middle of a thunderstorm. Her voice reflected that._

 _"I could make that shot in my sleep," Sarah confirmed. "You are suppose to use the crossbow though. I'm taking the shot with my bow. There's no way of screwing it up."_

 _"I know," Alex grumbled. Sarah adjusted the crossbow and made sure to account for the wind and rain. After that, she carefully crawled away from it and stood. Her jacket was soaked by the rain._

 _Sarah heard someone climb up the ladder. She didn't bother to turn around and just focused on pulling her bow from a cloak. The bow was mostly untouched by the rain._

 _"If I was an enemy, I could have kill you," Alex commented. Sarah turned towards her and smirked. Her girlfriend was soaking wet and looked miserable. Alex walked towards the crossbow and laid in front of it. "Did you put the poison on the bolt?"_

 _"Yeah," Sarah replied. She grabbed the vial from her pocket and opened it. After dipping the arrow inside, she notched it on her bow. Something was bothering her. "So, why are we killing this praetor?"_

 _"Father sent us a letter," Alex responded. "So, we just pull the trigger? Are you doing the countdown?"_

 _"That's the problem," Sarah said. "Prometheus usually meets you face to face. Why is this one different?"_

 _"The praetor is lobbying against us," Alex said as she looked up. Her hood made it impossible to see her eyes. "She wants Camp Jupiter to go to war with us, so we must strike first."_

 _"How does she know about us?" Sarah questioned. "Alex, this doesn't add up. Prometheus always approaches you. If we are going to take out a target, he will personally hand you the file. Why send it in a letter?"_

 _"Father told us to do it," Alex muttered. She rubbed her face. "Why can't you accept that?"_

 _"You blindly follow your father's orders, but what if this isn't his orders?" Sarah wondered. "I don't think he sent the letter. Sure, it had his signature, but anyone can forge that. There is no way this praetor knows about us."_

 _Alex gripped the handle of the crossbow. Her finger moved towards the trigger. Sarah spoke, "And, we don't know anything about the praetor. She might not even be lobbying against us. Maybe, she has a rival who wants us to take her out for them, so they can take power."_

 _"If there was a rival, how they would know about us? How would the praetor not know about us then?" Alex countered._

 _"Okay, it could be someone not even at Camp Jupiter. I just think that we are doing someone's dirty work, and if Bellona finds out we killed her kid, we're dead. She will annihilate us in the special way that only goddesses can," Sarah explained._

 _Alex sighed and stood. She spoke, "Alright. We don't kill the praetor, but we need to talk to her."_

 _"That might be hard with her sister right by her side," Sarah commented. "Hylla is kind of hot as well."_

 _Sarah winced as Alex hit her arm. Alex watched her for a few moments. They both looked back towards the place where the praetor was sitting. All they saw was a monster turn a corner._

 _"That's a drakon," Sarah said as she stared at the beast. It shot fire right at the praetor, but her sister shoved her to the ground. Sarah glanced at Alex and nodded as they came to a decision. With the chaos of the drakon, it would be much easier to capture the praetor._

* * *

Sarah opened her eyes and looked around the dark room. She had fallen asleep with the lights on, but someone had been kind enough to turn them off for her. Sarah rubbed her face and reflected over the dream.

Sadness tore through her heart, and she sighed. There was no way to describe how much she missed Alex. Thinking about her made Sarah's eyes water.

After a few moments, the sadness turned to anger and regret. If she had taken the shot at Reyna, they wouldn't be in this mess. Alex wouldn't be dead. The demititans wouldn't be at war.

It still bothered her though. Prometheus had not sent the letter. He confirmed that as soon as they told him about the incident. Who had forged his signature and sent them a letter?

The addition of Rhea also complicated matters. She had saved Sarah from probably being murdered by Reyna. It was like the goddess knew that trouble was brewing. Sarah just wished she knew why someone had tried to use the demititans to kill Reyna.

Were the drakons also sent by the person? Why use the demititans in the first place? There wasn't anyone who really knew about them at the time. The immortals were the only ones who did, so which immortal wanted Reyna dead?

From what Sarah knew, Reyna, at the time, had not pissed off any immortals. No one had a reason to try and kill her. Sarah sighed and sat up. A glance at the clock showed she had only been asleep for ten minutes. She had gone right to her room after the Sixth Legion gave her the letter.

Sarah stood from her bed and heard a knock on the door. She opened it and saw Ulysses and Red. They both seemed like they had just woken up.

"Red heard about the letter," Ulysses began. "Annabeth Chase told her, and I don't think Red has stopped yelling at me until now. Like Annabeth Chase, she doesn't think we should leave."

"Ulysses, do you want to leave?" Sarah questioned. She ran a hand through her hair. Red watched her with a look of disdain. That was a normal look for Red though.

"We can't leave the Greeks," Red muttered. Ulysses nodded his agreement.

"What if we did?" Sarah wondered. "What if we just left and helped the Sixth Legion? We've been following orders for years. Let's just do what we want to do."

Ulysses watched her for a long moment. Even though he couldn't see, his eyes still met hers. Ulysses spoke, "You don't want to work with the Greeks because Alex died when she was with them."

"That's not true," Sarah snapped. She looked away and crossed her arms. It took her a moment to decide. "I'm going."

"You're leaving?" Ulysses asked. His eyes widened. "You can't just leave. We have to be united. The demititans have always been united. That is how we have survived for so long."

"We are slaves to the Greeks," Sarah snapped. "We have been working with them out of fear. If we did something to piss them off, the Olympians would strike us down."

"Let's go," Red decided after a moment. She nodded like the idea interested her. "I'm all in. Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter can have this damned base."

"This is not a good idea," Ulysses began. "We have strength in numbers."

"There is two ways that we can go," Sarah said. She grabbed Ulysses' shoulder. "The Sixth Legion has more skill, and they might have a slight edge in numbers with the Amazons."

"What about when this war is over?" Ulysses questioned. "If we survive, what will the Olympians do with us? The fear of punishment is still very real."

Sarah sighed and tried to think through the problem. This was one of the reasons she wished Alex was still alive. Alex would already have a solution. Sarah rubbed her forehead as grief consumed her thoughts.

"I don't care," Sarah muttered. "I'm going. I am tired of living in this fear of the Olympians. If they want to punish someone after the war, they can punish me."

Ulysses sighed and stared ahead. He finally spoke, "I will get the demititans together, and we can head out."

Sarah nodded. She watched her two fellow leaders walk away. After that, she closed her door and grabbed an already packed duffel bag. Sarah slung it across her back and grabbed her bow. It was time to go.

After a few moments, Sarah opened her door. She came face to face with Hylla. The queen of the Amazons seemed to be shaking in rage. Sarah stared at her for a few moments.

"Can I help you?" Sarah slowly asked. She felt Hylla shove past her. "Or, you can just come on in. That works too."

"You have to help us," Hylla said angrily. She started to pace back and forth as if it would help her calm down. Sarah adjusted her duffel bag for a moment and watched Hylla.

They weren't friends at all, and acquaintances would be a stretch. That only made the current situation more awkward. Sarah had never spoken to Hylla by herself.

"I am helping you," Sarah responded after a moment. "The demititans are going to help the Sixth Legion."

"No," Hylla muttered. She took a deep breath. "Not we. I do. I need your help. Okay, I can't let my little sister be hurt anymore. You have to help me."

Hylla's words were rushed. There was fear to her voice. She seemed really scared about something. It was really weird that she would come to Sarah though. There was plenty of Amazons that Hylla could have gone to.

"What do you need?" Sarah slowly asked. Hylla took a deep breath. Then, she looked at Sarah and seemed to get a grip on herself.

"We need to talk. I just need five minutes," Hylla replied. After a moment, Sarah nodded and sat down on her bed. She patted the bed. Hylla sat by her.

"I'll do whatever I can to help you," Sarah promised. She watched Hylla. Even though the two didn't really know each other, Sarah meant it. Helping Hylla could curry favor with some of the immortals. Hopefully, it wouldn't blow up in her face.


	43. Mundus Vult Decipi

Reyna's eyes drifted open. For a few moments, she stared down at the pillow that her face rested on. It felt like the pillow was wet from how bad she had been sweating. Reyna turned her head and looked around the empty tent. There was a few beds along with a few duffel bags.

Her left arm was hanging off of the bed. Reyna slowly moved her fingers around and clenched her fist. She remembered what Boudica had done, and she remembered the dream. It was hard for her to believe that she had actually gave the order to declare war on Camp Jupiter.

Reyna sighed and tried to figure out how long she had been asleep. There was no real way to keep track of time. She heard someone step into the tent. Reyna looked up and stared at Kinzie.

Kinzie stared back at her. She walked towards Reyna's side and sat by her. For a few moments, Kinzie studied Reyna. It was hard to read the expression on her face.

"How are you feeling?" Kinzie questioned. "The doctor told us your wound became infected, and you had a really bad fever from it. It went away a few minutes ago."

Reyna closed her eyes tightly. She spoke, "I don't know. At the moment, I don't really feel anything. It's kind of weird."

"Try not to move," Kinzie warned. "Would you like food, water, or anything?"

"Is Hylla safe?" Reyna questioned. She feared that Boudica had done something to her older sister. Reyna could not have that on her head. "Did Boudica try anything else?"

"No," Kinzie replied. "Hylla ordered the Amazons to join the Sixth Legion and the Huns. They made a pretty impressive camp, and the demititans have joined us."

Reyna nodded. Her eyes closed for a few moments. When she reopened them, Kinzie was watching her. There was something in her hands.

"What's that?" Reyna questioned. Kinzie glanced behind her. After a few moments, Kinzie looked back and held out a box. She opened it to reveal a ring.

"I'm going to ask Hylla to marry me," Kinzie whispered. Reyna stared at her. It always seemed like it would happen, but she just imagined that Hylla would be the one who asked Kinzie. "And, I want your permission."

"My permission?" Reyna asked. "Why?"

"You're Hylla's sister," Kinzie responded like it was obvious. "I already asked your mother, but I feel like your permission is worth more to Hylla."

Reyna stared ahead for a few moments. She finally smiled and spoke, "Kinzie, you don't even have to ask me. You had my permission when you first started dating Hylla. You're the best thing that has ever happened to her."

"Thank you," Kinzie said. She laid back in her seat and took a deep breath. "I'm going to ask her soon. What if she says no?"

"She won't," Reyna promised. "Hylla, without a doubt, will accept. You two will have a great wedding. We just have to survive this war."

If it was anyone else, the mood would have darkened. Kinzie just grinned and spoke, "Considering a goddess is actually working with us, I think we have a great shot. You're also leading us."

Reyna instantly looked away. That was the one thing she didn't want to hear. She was tired of being the leader and having to send people to their deaths. Reyna finally sighed and buried her face in her pillow.

The tent fell silent. Kinzie seemed to understand that she had said something to upset Reyna. She gently grabbed Reyna's arm and spoke, "I'm sorry."

"I'm tired of people dying," Reyna whispered. She looked at Kinzie. "When I give orders, people keep dying. It happened at the temple of the Fates."

"Stop," Kinzie interrupted. "If anyone else had been leading, the same thing would have happened. Reyna, this is war. It is not pretty, and it is not easy. Someone has to bear the weight of it, but they don't have to do it alone."

Reyna nodded slightly. She laid her head against her pillow. All she really wanted to do was turn on her back, but that would probably only cause her more pain than anything. Kinzie let go of her arm.

"Can we talk about something," Kinzie questioned. Reyna nodded tiredly. "What was the prophecy that you received. Hylla said you got it when you were going to find Ares' shield."

"We already fulfilled it," Reyna mumbled tiredly. She slowly started to clench her fist and move her fingers. It helped her feel like she could actually do something.

"Humor me," Kinzie said with a shrug. Reyna nodded and rubbed her face. She moved her head off of her pillow to get a better look at Kinzie.

"It's been awhile," Reyna began. She took a deep breath and tried to remember. "Wisdom, love, and war will combine. That was Annabeth, Piper, and Hylla. They stopped Kronos."

"They shall stop the plans of the divine. The three stopped Kronos' plan," Reyna continued. "The curse shall be lifted: Atlas' curse. The greatest of rewards will be inflicted. Atropos gave me immortality."

"The betrayals will be exposed," Reyna said. She fell silent for a few moments. "The wrath of the sky shall be imposed. That was Ouranos' return."

"Okay," Kinzie began. She leaned back. "It's kind of weird though. With the Titans, there was a prophecy for the war. It was fulfilled, and they got a new prophecy for the giants. Why isn't there a new prophecy now?"

"Maybe, there isn't one," Reyna suggested. She tried to shift, and pain shot through her back. That was more than enough to leave Reyna in agony for the next minute. Kinzie grabbed her arm and tried to relax her.

"That doesn't make sense," Kinzie said after a minute. "Demigods always have prophecies around. I just have a gut feeling. I don't think the prophecy was fulfilled."

Reyna laid there and tried to think. She spoke, "What is your gut telling you?"

"There is one divine who has put a large target on your back," Kinzie answered. "I think Metis is the divine that we have to stop. As for wisdom, love, and war, what if we're thinking about it wrong? Prophecies have double meanings, right? What if it's the concept and not the actual children?"

"Concept?" Reyna asked. "So, wisdom is being smart enough to stop Metis?"

"Maybe," Kinzie replied. She sighed and pulled her hand away. "I don't know exactly, but it is something to think about. If you need anything, you can yell for me. I'll let everyone know that you're awake."

"Thank you," Reyna mumbled. She closed her eyes and just relaxed for a few moments. There was no way to know how long it would take for her to recover. She needed to rest while she could.

Her rest lasted a few minutes. Someone walked in, and they grabbed Reyna's arm. Reyna slowly opened her eyes, and she looked up at her older sister.

"She's dead," Hylla promised. She knelt by Reyna and looked her in the eyes. "Boudica is dead. When I see her next, I am going to rip her spine from her body. She is going to pay for what she did."

"Do you believe them?" Reyna asked. Hylla looked her in the eyes. "Do you believe that I killed the Senators? I swear that I didn't. You have to believe me."

"Why did you kill them?" Hylla asked. Her voice wasn't angry. She sounded like she actually wanted to know, but Reyna did not do it. Even though her memory was conflicted, Reyna knew it in her gut.

"I didn't," Reyna swore. "Okay, I did not kill them. When Boudica spoke to me about it, I saw myself killing the Senators, but I didn't. I did not kill them. Hylla, you have to believe me. Please."

"Reyna, you have been doing things that you don't remember," Hylla began. Reyna shook her head. She needed Hylla to believe her. "You've been having black outs, and you do things that are just not you. I know you killed those Senators, but I still support you."

"I didn't!" Reyna insisted. She didn't have the strength to yell. "Hylla."

Hylla squeezed her arm gently. She spoke, "It's okay. I'm not mad at you. Would you like me to get you something to eat?"

Reyna looked away from her sister and fell silent. This wasn't fair. Her own sister didn't believe her. If Hylla didn't believe her, who would?

"If you want to talk, I'm here," Hylla said. She stood and walked out of the tent. Reyna buried her face in her pillow and sighed deeply. Tears filled her eyes, and she started to cry into the pillow.

It was not fair. She had been carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders without anyone to help her. Now, her older sister didn't trust her. Reyna allowed herself to cry until her ribs started to hurt.

The dull ache was still there. If she had to guess, her ribs still needed a few more days to fully heal. Her arm was another story. With how badly her shoulder had been stabbed, it would probably be out of commission for a long time.

Reyna sighed deeply and tried to move. More pain tore through her back. She took deep breaths and pressed her face into the pillow. After a few moments, she heard footsteps.

"I don't need to rest," Arcadia said. "A little wound is nothing to worry about. Avaris, there is really no need for this."

"You are going to rest," a woman, presumably Avaris, ordered. Reyna slowly looked at them. She saw Avaris sit Arcadia on a bed. "Lie down."

Arcadia rolled her eyes and laid on the bed. She glanced over at Reyna and spoke, "Imperator, how are you feeling?"

Reyna shook her head. She sniffled and wiped her eyes. Then, she started to move her fingers again. It was the only thing she could do. Her right arm was immobilized.

Arcadia actually cried out in pain as Avaris touched her stomach. Reyna moved her head to get a better look. She could see green around Arcadia's wound. Golden ichor trickled from it.

"The poison is something from Tartarus," Avaris commented. "Bristol told me that the blade was made from an ancient material. It is something that he has not seen before."

"Who cares?" Arcadia questioned. "Just patch me up."

"Arcadia, I know that you are use to being invincible, but this is something different. I can see it sapping your strength," Avaris said. She grabbed a needle and thread. "I think you need rest."

"It's not sapping my strength," Arcadia promised. "I got everyone here without a problem."

"Then, you leaned on a tree for the next five minutes before telling us you would be back. I found you vomiting your guts out," Avaris countered.

"Coincidence," Arcadia replied. She closed her eyes tightly as Avaris stitched up her wound. Avaris finished and bandaged her.

"Imperator," Avaris said. She turned towards Reyna and walked towards her. "How did you feel?"

"I'm okay," Reyna responded. "You're Avaris, right? Call me Reyna."

Reyna did her best to hold out her hand. Avaris shook it and spoke, "It is nice to meet you. I just wish it was under different circumstances."

"What happened to Arcadia?" Reyna questioned. She pulled her hand away and rubbed her eyes.

"I'm fine," Arcadia promised. Her voice sounded bored, and she sighed deeply. "It's just a scratch."

"We need to find the antidote," Avaris snapped. "This is not healthy for you. It will continue to sap your strength and hurt you."

"I'm fine," Arcadia insisted. "Imperator, you have to trust me. Just give me an assignment. I'll be fine."

"She won't be," Avaris interrupted. "Arcadia can't do anything. She needs bed rest."

"Arcadia, can you find Lupa?" Reyna questioned. Arcadia sat up and nodded. She was on her feet and out the tent before Avaris could say a word.

Reyna laid her head back in the pillow. Everyone doubted her. She hated that they were starting to doubt Arcadia as well. If Arcadia thought she could do it, Reyna believed in her. She just hoped that she wasn't making a big mistake.


	44. Divine Conflict

Arcadia leaned against a wall and took deep breaths. She placed a hand to her mouth. After a few moments, she lowered her hand and coughed out ichor. There was a green color mixed in with the golden ichor. Arcadia wiped her mouth angrily.

"Great," Arcadia muttered. She pushed herself off the wall and collapsed to her knees. Searing pain hit her stomach. She slammed her fist into the ground and forced herself to stand.

A little stab wound wasn't going to stop Arcadia. She had a job to do. Her mind moved from the pain to Lupa. Arcadia had no clue where the wolf goddess was.

They had met approximately zero times. Even though Lupa was in charge of the Romans, she never actually stayed in Rome for longer than a few minutes. Arcadia didn't blame her. Lupa had to train someone probably every day. There was simply no time for her to take a vacation.

Lupa also seemed to think that Rome was corrupt. The city held the legacy of great Romans, but it also held the legacy of the corrupt ones. It was something Lupa probably never wanted for Camp Jupiter. With Boudica, the dream had to be shattered.

Coughing up more ichor interrupted Arcadia's thoughts. She took a few deep breaths and finally looked around the temple. There was nothing inside except for cobwebs, several layers of dust, and a statue of a wolf. It seemed like Lupa's altar had not been touched in centuries.

Arcadia had already visited the Wolf House. She went all over Rome, but there was no sign of the wolf. Something was wrong. Arcadia just didn't know what it was.

Another bout of coughing drove her to her knees. She spat more ichor out and placed a hand to her stomach. Even with her armor on, she just knew that her wound was bleeding. It was so stupid. This only happened to mortals, and it should not be happening to Arcadia.

"You don't look well," a voice commented. Arcadia turned her head to look at Enyo. A hand was offered to her. Arcadia took it and was pulled to her feet.

"Poison," Arcadia commented. "I only wonder how Boudica got her hands on poison from Tartarus."

"What?" Enyo answered. She looked more confused than anything. "I'm out of the loop. I have been trying to help your father and his army. Bellona has me running around and doing every little thing for her."

Arcadia explained everything that has happened since she had last seen Enyo. Her fellow goddess didn't seem shocked by anything. It must have sounded like any other day to her.

"War with Camp Jupiter," Enyo commented after the story was done. "That will be interesting to see. Can Reyna even stand?"

"Not yet," Arcadia replied. "I want her to be on her feet as soon as possible, but I don't want there to be anymore damage than there already is."

"It will take a long time," Enyo commented. "She pushed herself beyond her limits with Ouranos, but that was with her mother lending her strength. I don't think she can replicate that."

"It doesn't matter," Arcadia said. She leaned on a wall feeling weak. Pain was spreading through her stomach to her chest. "When the imperator is on her feet, we will attack the barbarians. I will work with her to deliver the blow that sends Thoon back to the hole that he crawled out of. Then, we turn our attention to Camp Jupiter."

"It's a smart move," Enyo commented. "You are not going to like me for saying this, but you need to rest. I can see the pain that you are in."

"I'm fine," Arcadia promised. To emphasize her point, she coughed up more ichor. Her knees gave out on her, but Enyo caught her. Arcadia could feel the poison slowly spreading through her veins. The pain had not been this horrible before.

"Arcadia, can you hear me?" Enyo questioned. Arcadia managed to lift her head and slowly nod. "I'll take you back to your camp? Where is it?"

Before Arcadia could answer, she heard footsteps. It took her a few moments to turn her head. The only thing she saw was Metis. The Titaness smiled at them.

"It's so nice to see you again," Metis commented. Her eyes focused on Enyo. Arcadia pulled away from her friend and stumbled forward. She put herself in between Enyo and Metis.

"What do you want?" Arcadia demanded. Between her and Enyo, they could take out Metis. It was a big mistake for the Titaness to confront them.

"The poison in your veins is slowly killing you. Since you are a goddess, the pain will slowly get worse and worse until you find a cure. Did you know that there is a poison worse than the one running through your veins? If you were stabbed by a dagger that held that poison, I don't even want to imagine the pain," Metis commented.

"If the two were to combine, it would drive you to the edge of insanity," Metis continued. She smirked. "If someone had a dagger and were to stab you in the back, the sting of betrayal would probably hurt more than the physical pain, for the first moments at least."

As soon as the words left Metis' mouth, someone stabbed a dagger into Arcadia's back. Arcadia gasped in surprise more than pain. Her only thought was that Enyo had literally stabbed her in the back.

"Trust me," Enyo whispered in Arcadia's ear. She twisted the dagger in Arcadia's back. "I am really sorry for this."

Enyo did a few things at once. First, she kicked Arcadia in the leg and snapped it like it was a twig. At the same time, she broke the dagger at the handle, so the blade was still buried in Arcadia's back. Then, Enyo wrapped her arm around Arcadia's neck and kept her standing.

"You Romans are such idiots," Metis commented. She walked towards Arcadia and brandished a blue blade. Arcadia struggled against Enyo, but her friend didn't let her budge. "You come here unguarded and wounded. I must thank you for delivering yourself to me."

"You're a coward," Arcadia hissed. She felt a dagger rest against her back, but it wasn't threateningly. It was almost like the dagger was catching her blood. "You hide behind words and others."

Metis responded by stabbing Arcadia in the stomach. She leaned in close and spoke, "I will gladly be called a coward as I stand on top of the world. You will just be another sad causality."

Arcadia spat in Metis' face. She watched some of the ichor hit Metis in the eye. The Titaness took a deep breath and wiped her face. She spoke, "You are just like Reyna. You are a child playing a game of chess. I am sorry that you cannot comprehend what is going to happen."

"I am sorry that I don't care," Arcadia hissed. "What are you going to do with me? Or, are you going to bore me to death with talking?"

Metis watched her for a moment. Her eyes flickered towards Enyo. A dagger covered in ichor was tossed towards Metis. The Titaness caught it and smiled. She unsheathed a sword.

Arcadia stared at Kronos' blade, and her mind started racing. Metis raised the sword, so it was level with Arcadia's heart. She took a step back. There was a triumphant look in her eyes.

Arcadia knew that the blade would send an immortal to Tartarus, and they would not get out unless they had help. She struggled even more, but Enyo did not loosen her grip. Arcadia met Metis' eyes and glared angrily.

"Maybe, I will let you out of Tartarus one day," Metis commented. As Metis stabbed forward, Arcadia found herself completely turned around. She heard Enyo's scream of pain.

It took one second for Arcadia to understand what had happened. Enyo had turned her back towards Metis and taken the blade for Arcadia. It only took a moment for Enyo to go limp.

Arcadia didn't hesitate. She thought of the location of the Sixth Legion's camp and closed her eyes. When she reopened them, they were in the middle of the camp. Arcadia collapsed to the ground. Between her leg and Enyo's weight, there was no way she could stay standing.

Someone moved to her side and pulled Enyo off of her. They helped Arcadia roll onto her back. Sparta stared down at Arcadia and opened her mouth.

"Enyo," Arcadia gasped. She tried to sit up, but she cried out in pain. Arcadia turned her head to look at her friend. Enyo's eyes were closed, and she wasn't moving. "No."

Arcadia wasn't aware of the people crowding around her. All she could do was stare at Enyo. The goddess was no longer there. Arcadia stared at her friend. Sparta grabbed her shoulder and spoke, "What happened?"

"Metis," Arcadia replied. She gritted her teeth from pain and grief. There was no way that she would show her grief in front of the legion. The only thing she would show was anger. "Metis did it."

"You need to see Avaris. Come on," Sparta said. She pulled Arcadia to her feet and wrapped Arcadia's arm around her shoulder. Everyone had their eyes on them.

Arcadia just stared at the ground. She found herself unable to speak. It took a few moments for Sparta to practically drag her towards a tent. Sparta pushed it open and laid Arcadia on the nearest bed.

Arcadia gasped as the fresh pain in her back. She rolled onto her side. The imperator stared at her and spoke, "What happened?"

"I met up with Enyo," Arcadia answered. It felt like she was on an autopilot. "We talked before Metis found us. Enyo stabbed me in the back with a poisoned dagger, and she broke the blade off."

"It's still in your back?" Avaris interrupted. With Sparta's help, she quickly stripped Arcadia of her breastplate. After a moment, Avaris carefully pulled the dagger out of Arcadia's back.

"It doesn't look poisoned," Sparta commented. "How do you know the dagger had poison on it?"

"Metis taunted me about it," Arcadia muttered. She closed her eyes, and the answer came to her. "Enyo switched the daggers. She acted like she used the poisoned one, so Metis would trust her and use Kronos' sword."

"I thought the gods confiscated it when I removed Kronos," the imperator interrupted. Arcadia could only shrug the best that she could. Avaris rolled Arcadia onto her back and looked at her stomach.

"Metis tried to stab me with Kronos' sword, but Enyo took the blow for me," Arcadia whispered. The reality came crushing down on her. "Enyo is in Tartarus now."

Arcadia laid her head back and closed her eyes. Pain flared in her gut as Avaris touched her stomach wound. Avaris spoke, "It's getting worse."

"Unless you can find the damn cure, I don't care how bad it is," Arcadia hissed. She tried to sit up, but Sparta grabbed her shoulder and held her down.

"You must rest," Sparta said. "When you feel better, we will make Metis pay."

It took a few moments for Arcadia to nod. Her mind wasn't on vengeance. Truthfully, she did not have many friends. Her relationship with her brother was shattered. Caesar and Enyo had been two of her closest friends and mentors. Now, they were gone.

All Arcadia could think of was grief. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to force the tears away. There was no way she would grieve in front of anyone. Pain brought her right out of her sadness.

Arcadia cursed in Latin and grabbed Avaris' hand. The doctor had pressed down on her stomach wound, and that was not okay. Arcadia knew she was only a second away from crushing Avaris' wrist.

"You need to rest," Avaris said. She looked at the imperator. "We must find the cure for the poison."

"Do you know where it could be?" the imperator questioned. She tried to shift, but pain showed on her face. She looked away and took deep breaths.

"No," Avaris replied. "We don't know much about it."

"It's a chase," Arcadia interrupted. "This is what Metis wants. I bet you that she is whispering in Boudica's ear. She knows that we will spend too long looking for a cure."

"We can't just leave you to suffer," Sparta interrupted. "But, we are trapped. Our imperator is too hurt to move, and our centurion is crippled by this poison. There is nothing we can do but wait. That must be what Metis wants."

"What do you think we should do?" the imperator questioned. She looked at Sparta with glazed eyes. It was clear that the imperator was going to pass out. Sparta glanced at Arcadia and shifted. For a moment, she looked completely unsure of herself.

"I don't know," Sparta replied. "I could find the cure though. I will volunteer for it, so we don't have to pull anyone else away."

"If Arcadia is unable to lead, who would do it for her?" the imperator asked. She slowly clenched her fist.

"The person who has been in the legion the longest," Avaris said. "That would be Sparta."

Sparta shifted awkwardly. Arcadia noticed it and spoke, "I don't think Sparta is ready to lead."

"Why didn't Caesar promote any others to centurion?" the imperator questioned. Despite how exhausted she looked, her mind seemed to be racing.

"Caesar did not think anything would happen to me," Arcadia replied. She laid her head back as her mind drifted back to Enyo. Her eyes closed. "If something did, the person who had been in the legion the longest would be the temporary centurion. He just didn't want more than one centurion running around."

"We need to talk," the imperator said. She raised her head. "Sparta, you are going to find the cure. Arcadia, you are going to rest, and we will talk about the legion. Avaris, I need you to tell the legion to be ready to march in a few hours. Understood?"

"Yes imperator," Arcadia muttered. She didn't care anymore. Her friend was gone. The pain in her stomach was crippling. Metis would pay though. That was something Arcadia could guarantee.


	45. Historia Est Vitae Magistra

After two minutes of shifting, Reyna found a position of standing that didn't cause horrific pain to shoot through her back. Her left palm rested on the table, and that was the only thing keeping her standing. She looked up at the three Romans in front of her.

Sparta was standing with her arms behind her back. She was wearing Roman armor, but instead of a helmet, she wore her beret. Sunglasses were covering her eyes, but she was refusing to look up. From what Reyna knew, Sparta and Bristol had a talk before they walked into the tent.

Bristol was standing with his arms crossed. Another woman stood next to him. Her hands were on the table as she examined the maps that had been left there by Sarah. From what Reyna knew, her name was Aquitaine.

"This is a very interesting map," Aquitaine commented. Her French accent stood out. She looked at Reyna and bowed. "Apologies for any disrespect, imperator. It has been a long day."

"You're fine," Reyna said tensely. "Sparta, you are dismissed. If you find anything about the antidote, I want you to contact me however you can."

"Yes imperator," Sparta muttered. Her voice sounded off, but she bowed and walked out quickly. Bristol sighed and looked at Reyna.

"Imperator, I learned that the blade is made of Damascus steel," Bristol reported. "It is a rare metal, and no one knows the secret to forging it. When combined with the poison, it becomes what we see in Arcadia."

Reyna managed a slight nod. It had taken most of her energy to speak, and she didn't think she could get through everything she wanted to say. Reyna took a deep breath and looked back up. Aquitaine watched her in concern.

"Would it help you if you sat down?" Aquitaine asked. Reyna shook her head and closed her eyes. "Then, you have orders for us?"

"I want you and Bristol to be centurions," Reyna muttered. "You two have the most experience, so the legion will be divided in half. One of you gets one half. The other gets the second half. When Arcadia is back on her feet, you will report to her."

Bristol exchanged a glance with Aquitaine. She seemed to shrug, and she spoke, "We are honored, imperator. Do you need help back to the infirmary?"

"No," Reyna replied. She lowered her head feeling weaker. The energy was starting to seep away. After taking a deep breath, Reyna looked back up. "Can someone get my sister, Sarah, and Wynris?"

"I will," Aquitaine volunteered. She bowed to Reyna and walked out. Bristol sighed and rubbed his face.

"What's wrong with Sparta?" Reyna questioned. She glanced up at Bristol. He looked down at the table and clenched his jaw.

"Sparta was badmouthing some of the Amazons. I simply put her in her place," Bristol explained. "I am one of the people that can reign her in, when her anger takes over. Arcadia is the other one, but she is out of commission. I'm not as gentle as Arcadia though."

"I wouldn't describe Arcadia as gentle," Reyna commented. Bristol seemed to think about his response.

"Arcadia has feelings for Sparta. She tries to hide it, but most of the Romans can see it," Bristol explained. "Caesar has a rule forbidding relationships though, so they cannot act on those feelings."

"If I lifted that rule, would it cause any problems?" Reyna questioned. She needed her legion to be the best that they could be, but sometimes, forbidden love was a big distraction. Bristol chuckled and shook his head.

"Imperator, relationships have been happening in the legion for a long time. Arcadia turns a blind eye. Caesar was not so kind," Bristol explained.

"Did you enjoy Caesar?" Reyna wondered. Bristol looked at her and opened his mouth. He finally looked down.

"Caesar was a great tactician, and he was amazing at fighting. The only problem is that he was more machine than human. He couldn't emphasize with his own troops. He did barbaric things like Boudica did to you," Bristol responded.

"If relationships won't affect fighting in the legion, I will lift the ban," Reyna said. "I just want to make sure that everyone is at peak mental and physical condition. That means I need to heal up fast."

"Everyone already respects you from the deeds that they have heard. When you walked out of that tent all on your own, you earned a lot more respect. Despite not knowing you, it seems like they all trust you," Bristol commented.

Reyna shook her head and closed her eyes. Her deeds weren't that great. All it earned was a plethora of injuries and a sentence of exile. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

Reyna's eyes scanned the table. She spoke, "Bristol, will you go check on Arcadia?"

"Yes imperator," Bristol replied. He bowed and walked out. Reyna closed her eyes tiredly. There was no way she could lead an attack, but she had to. Reyna moved slightly, and pain tore through her back.

As the pain became too much, Reyna fell to her knees. Her head rested on the table. There was nothing that she could besides be in pain. Reyna heard someone laugh, and she quickly looked up.

"Well, our little praetor seems to be in more trouble," a woman commented. She ran a hand through her curly black hair. Her cruel, brown eyes focused on Reyna. The woman walked towards Reyna.

Reyna stared up at the woman that she recognized as Doris. That wasn't right though. Doris was dead. Hylla had killed her for attacking Reyna.

"Or, is it imperator now?" Doris asked. She knelt by Reyna and grabbed her face. "A lot has happened since we last saw each other. You're still weak as back then though."

"I'm not weak," Reyna whispered. Doris only laughed and tightened the grip. Reyna closed her eyes tightly and reopened them. The Amazon was still there.

"Hylla had to save you from me," Doris whispered. "Sarah had to save you from the drakon. During the fight with Enyo, Annabeth and Piper are the only reasons you won. They distracted the goddess that you were suppose to defeat."

"And, you can't even save others," Doris continued. "It took water from a fountain to save your sister. You didn't save the Romans at the temple, and they only went there because you couldn't protect Rachel. You are pathetic."

"You rely on others to do your job. You allowed yourself to become a vessel for Kronos. Why? You were too weak to deal with Ouranos. When are you going to step up and not be weak?" Doris demanded.

"A mere Amazon almost killed you. How could the Olympians expect you to deal with Ouranos? Did they not know how weak you were?" Doris wondered. Reyna looked down.

"Reyna," a voice said. Reyna slowly looked up. Hylla was standing at the entrance to the tent. She was staring in shock.

"Weak," Doris repeated. She stood and backed away. Hylla hurried to Reyna's side and helped her stand. Reyna just stayed focused on Doris. Why wasn't Hylla doing anything about her?

"Reyna, are you okay?" Hylla asked. She didn't even look back at Doris. "Can you hear me?"

"Doris," Reyna whispered. "Behind you."

Hylla turned her head to look behind her. She spoke, "Reyna, there is no one there. What do you mean Doris?"

How could Hylla not see her? Doris was just standing there with a cruel smile on her face. She looked exactly the same as the day that Reyna had met her.

"I'm seeing things," Reyna realized. She was officially losing her mind. The stress had become too much. "I'm going insane."

"No," Hylla whispered. She gently grabbed Reyna's face. "You are not going insane. We'll figure it out."

"It's just a side effect," Sarah said. Reyna looked at her. The demititan had been standing at the tent entrance, and it was hard to tell how much she had heard. "You're seeing things because of the schizophrenia.

"How much did you see?" Reyna muttered. She shifted and groaned in pain. Hylla steadied her and watched her concern.

"I just walked in," Sarah answered. It was a clear lie. The demititan walked towards them and dropped a letter on the table. Reyna studied it in confusion. "This was a letter we received, and before I explain, I want you to understand that this was before we knew you."

"What does it say?" Hylla questioned. She guided Reyna to the table, since she seemed to understand that is was easier for Reyna to lean. If there was one bright side, Doris was gone."

"It was a letter stating that the demititans needed to kill Reyna," Sarah explained. As Hylla took an unintentional step forward, Sarah took a step backwards. "Let me explain. Please."

"You have one second," Hylla said. She stood protectively in front of Reyna. "Nothing else is going to happen to my sister."

"I'm not going to betray her," Sarah promised. She took a step forward. "With all that has been going on, haven't I earned any trust?"

"No," Hylla replied. Sarah's jaw clenched, and she looked back at the letter. "Explain."

"We got the letter from someone," Sarah replied. She closed her eyes and sighed sadly. "It's written in the language of the Titans, so you can't read it. We thought it was from Prometheus, but it wasn't."

Reyna tried to reach out to grab the letter, but it only caused more pain. She groaned and lowered her head. Sarah pushed the letter towards her. Reyna read it, and her eyes widened.

"That is Metis' handwriting," Reyna said. She fully read the letter. "Why would she want to kill me? She wants to use me as a vessel, and that was why she convinced me to become one for Kronos."

"No offense," Sarah began. "But, that should have killed you. How did you survive being his vessel?"

"Her string wasn't fully cut," Hylla replied. Sarah looked at them in confusion. "It doesn't matter. Why would Metis send this letter? She wants you as a vessel for Chaos, and you can't do that if you're dead."

"What if she doesn't want Reyna to be a vessel?" Sarah questioned. Reyna painfully looked at the demititan, and Sarah looked down. "This is the same thing that Alex would do. She excelled when she had to trick people."

"What do you mean when you say that Metis might not want me as a vessel?" Reyna asked. She closed her eyes tightly, so she could focus on Sarah's words.

"Well, let's just say that Metis wants you dead," Sarah began. "If this was Alex, she wouldn't want to get her hands dirty. It's not that she couldn't, but it keeps her from ramifications. Maybe, Metis is thinking like that."

"So, she tries to use the demititans, and that fails. She might have other attempts along the way," Sarah continued. "When it comes to the present, she says that she wants you to be a vessel for Chaos. When I last checked, Chaos was suppose to wipe out life upon coming back, and I don't think Thoon wants that."

"Metis says she wants me to be the vessel, which means that Thoon will want to kill me," Reyna realized. Her mind went back to the conversation with Kinzie. What if the prophecy wasn't done yet? What if the divine was Metis?

"If you believe the demititan," Hylla commented. Reyna glanced at her older sister. "You can't trust them, especially if they slaughter your Amazons."

"They attacked us first," Sarah said. She took a step back. Hylla took a step towards the demititan. "I'm sorry they died, but it couldn't be avoided."

"What happened?" Reyna asked. She tried to move, but the pain became too much for her. It forced her to stay where she was.

"I sent a group of Amazons to investigate a break in at one of our supply buildings. It ended with all of those Amazons dead," Hylla explained. "Since the two Amazons in charge hated each other, I can easily guess that Alex turned them against each other."

"How did you figure it was the demititans?" Reyna questioned quickly. She was trying to keep the peace. Hylla clenched her fist and took another step forward. Sarah held her ground.

"We had video cameras, and one of them caught an image of a demititan," Hylla explained. "I didn't realize it, until now."

"Hylla, you need to listen," Sarah said. She took a step towards Hylla. "It was just an accident."

Hylla punched Sarah hard in the face. As there was the sound of bones breaking, Sarah fell back and put both hands to her face. Hylla spoke, "That was an accident too."

"Stop," Reyna hissed. She tried to move, but the pain drove her back to her knees. Hylla pulled her to her feet and dragged her towards the entrance to the tent.

"You're going back to bed," Hylla ordered. She looked back at Sarah. The demititan wasn't moving. "I'll work with them, but I won't like it. No one will know what they did though. A lot of Amazons are still pissed about it."

Reyna pulled away from her sister. She slowly walked out of the tent and saw that Bristol was walking back towards them. He stopped in front of them.

"Bristol, I want you to meet with Wynris and have him get the barbarians ready. After that, I want the Romans to be ready to move. We are going to take Camp Jupiter and will start marching today," Reyna said.

"You're not up for that," Hylla interrupted. Reyna looked at her sister and shook her head. She had to go, and Hylla needed to understand that.

"I have to be," Reyna said. She swallowed painfully. "We have been on defense this entire time, but that needs to change."

"Why don't we send the demititans in to scout it out," Hylla muttered. "We can march and be ready to attack, but we don't go to the actual camp until we get a report."

"Are we going to keep anyone here to guard our camp, or are we packing it up?" Bristol questioned. He looked at the two sisters and kept his arms behind his back.

"Packing up," Reyna muttered. She felt the world start to spin. Reyna stumbled, and Hylla steadied her. That sent even more pain through her back, but her sister kept her standing.

"You can't make the march," Hylla whispered. Reyna didn't respond. She used the rest of her strength to gently pull away and slowly walk towards the infirmary. Once inside, she collapsed onto the nearest bed and groaned in pain.

Reyna turned her head to look at Arcadia. The goddess was staring ahead. Her face was expressionless, but Reyna could just see all of the pent up emotion. There was a lot of problems that everyone at the camp seemed to have, and if they didn't talk it out, it could only lead to disaster.


	46. Revolution

As Sarah walked out of the tent, she kept her hand placed to her mouth. Blood was still pouring from her busted nose and split lip. Two of her bottom teeth were in her other hand. Sarah saw some Romans stare at her, but she just kept walking.

Her focus was on the fact that Metis tried to manipulate them into killing Reyna. It was smart to have someone else do the dirty work, and it would have caused a war between Camp Jupiter and the demititans. Camp Half-Blood and the Amazons probably would have joined, and that would have meant the end of the demititans.

What was Metis' goal though? Why didn't she directly want to kill Reyna? There seemed to have been times when Metis could have committed the deed, so why didn't she?

Sarah walked out of the Romans' camp and towards the demititans'. She noticed her archers in the trees. They were the best damn archers that anyone could find, and Sarah had made sure of that. They were also keeping an eye on all three of the camps.

"What happened to you?" Red asked. She appeared by Sarah's side. "You look terrible."

Sarah simply opened her hand. Red stared at the two teeth that had once been in Sarah's mouth. Then, she started to laugh. Red spoke, "Who did you piss off?"

"Queen Amazon," Sarah muttered. She closed her fist and ran her tongue through the new gap in her teeth. It wasn't the first tooth that she had lost, but the healing process sucked. "She learned that we killed some of her Amazons and decided to punch me in the face."

"She did a number on you," Red commented. She laughed and shoved past Sarah. Red's body didn't hold an ounce of sympathy, and it was really annoying.

It took a moment for Sarah to continue her walk. Her mind went back to the incident in the tent. Hylla had jumped to the conclusion quickly, and she had delivered the punch even quicker. Why would Hylla ask a favor from her and then punch her in the face?

Sarah looked around for Ulysses. Usually, he would be in the infirmary, but the tent was wide open with no one inside. Sarah frowned and turned back around. If she was going to find Ulysses, she would probably have to talk to Red, and there was no way in Hades she would do that.

Sarah walked back towards the Roman camp. She would swallowed her pride and asked them for help. They weren't the Amazons, so they couldn't be that bad. Sarah focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

It took a few moments to identify the infirmary. A serious looking woman was standing outside it and giving someone a lecture. Sarah sighed and walked towards the woman.

"I don't care if the imperator wants out of bed," the woman hissed. "She cannot walk. Bristol, I want you to repeat that back to me."

"The imperator cannot walk, Avaris. I was busy with Sparta though. You will have to find someone else to yell at," Bristol said. He glanced behind him and looked at Sarah. "Demititan."

"Do you need medical attention?" Avaris asked. Sarah managed a nod. She opened her hand to show the two teeth resting in them. "Why are you kids always getting your teeth knocked out. Come on."

Sarah followed Avaris into the tent. As soon as she was inside, her eyes darted around. Reyna was laying on a bed. The daughter of Bellona slowly looked at Sarah.

"I'm sorry about Hylla," Reyna said. "How bad are you hurt?"

"It's fine," Sarah muttered. The words sounded weird without bottom teeth. She ran her tongue through the gap. "I'm use to it by now. Demititans are always disrespected and attacked."

Reyna watched her and tried to move. Avaris snapped something in Latin and pointed at Reyna. It seemed like the pointing was what did the trick.

"Let me see the damage," Avaris said turning towards Sarah. The demititan slowly lowered her hand, which was covered in blood. She opened her other hand that had the teeth in it. Avaris sighed and grabbed her jaw.

Sarah made a noise of pain. Avaris studied her face and spoke, "It seems like your jaw is bruised, nose is broken, two knocked out teeth, a few loose, and bruising around your mouth. Who did this?"

"My sister," Reyna answered. "One punch powered by her belt did that. How bad is Sarah?"

"We're going to put the teeth back in," Avaris answered. "That will take five minutes in total. No talking."

Avaris turned away and started to work on a paste. Sarah knew it had unicorn powder and nectar in it. The paste would glue her teeth back and make it like she had just grown them in. Hopefully, they wouldn't get knocked out anymore.

"Sarah, I am really sorry about this," Reyna said. "Hylla is really stressed, and she just lashes out sometimes. We have that in common."

"It's not an excuse," Sarah muttered. She closed her eyes as memories flashed through her head. "Don't use it as one. You don't just lash out at random. You keep anger boiled up inside, and when it becomes too much, you lash out at the person that you think deserves it most."

No one said a word after that. Reyna looked like she was reflecting over the words, or she was just falling asleep. Avaris seemed to be busy making the paste. Sarah glanced over and saw Arcadia lounging on a bed.

The goddess completely ignored them. Her gaze was focused on the tent, and it was almost like she was grieving. Sarah could understand that feeling. She winced as Avaris walked towards her with the paste.

Sarah slowly opened her mouth. All of her willpower went into keeping herself still, as Avaris applied the paste. There was a tingling sensation, and Avaris grabbed Sarah's teeth.

Avaris set her teeth back in place and spoke, "You will stand here for two minutes and not move your mouth. Your tongue will press against the roof of your mouth. No talking."

"She's just tired of her patients not listening," Arcadia commented. "Why do I have to lay here? I should be out there helping."

"You need to rest," Avaris snapped. "I don't care that Enyo is in Tartarus. You can't rush out, if you can't even stand."

"Stop," Reyna muttered. "I am tired of arguing. I am tired of war. I am tired of having the weight of the world on my shoulders, so can everyone just shut up?"

The tent fell silent. Reyna seemed shocked by her outburst. She finally buried her face in the pillow. Sarah watched the scene in silence. It wasn't her business, so she wouldn't interfere.

"Sarah, I'm sorry this happened to you," Reyna muttered after a few moments. "I'm sorry you got dragged into all of this crap. I'm sorry that the demititans were forced into this too."

"It's kind of funny," Arcadia commented. "The demititans were forced into a war against a Titan. That has to suck. I'm surprised the other Titans haven't joined in."

"They probably fear the Olympians," Avaris commented. "They would rise up, if there wasn't consequences. I'm surprised they haven't used their kids."

Sarah clenched her fist. Why were they talking about the Titans like a daughter of a Titan wasn't right there? Everyone seemed to think that the demititans could be stepped over. If Sarah could talk, she would have snapped on them.

"Stop," Reyna muttered. She met Sarah's eyes. "Not all Titans are bad, and I don't want anyone badmouthing them. Can someone tell Bristol to double time it with the Romans packing up, and do the demititans even know?"

"Don't talk," Avaris snapped as she looked at Sarah. "It has not been two minutes. When you are done, you can tell the demititans. I will tell Bristol. Do not dare talk until I come back."

Avaris stormed out of the tent. It seemed like she was done with her patients not listening to her. Sarah sighed and closed her eyes. Arcadia spoke, "So, are you going to talk now?"

"Be quiet," Reyna muttered. "How am I going to go on this march? I can't even walk."

"You don't know until you try," Arcadia commented. "Besides, I'll have to walk as well. We can suffer together."

"I can't walk," Reyna muttered. "I don't think I can stand. Arcadia, I don't know how I can do this."

"Then, we're screwed," Arcadia commented. "We will just have to stay here. It sucks. Besides, I don't think we could take back Camp Jupiter anyway."

"What do you mean?" Reyna asked. She looked at Arcadia. The goddess quickly looked away and didn't say another. "Arcadia, what do you mean?"

"With you leading us, I don't think we will be able to take Camp Jupiter," Arcadia admitted. "You haven't led an army like this. I don't think you can handle it, okay? You might know want to hear those words, but it's the truth."

Reyna stared at Arcadia. She turned her head the other way. Sarah stared at the two. Did Arcadia know that those words were harsh? Silence fell over the tent.

It felt like hours of silence passed before Avaris walked back in. She grabbed Sarah and turned her around. Avaris opened her mouth and placed a hand to Sarah's teeth. She tried to wiggle them, and thankfully, they didn't budge.

"You can talk," Avaris said. She stepped away and walked towards Reyna. "Imperator, I highly recommend that you do not walk with the army. Your back cannot take it."

"Just ride a horse," Sarah said. "It might hurt, but it won't be as bad as walking."

"All she has is a Pegasus," Arcadia said. "That's useless. They don't walk."

"She can use Thorn's horse," Sarah countered. "It won't respond to his commands anymore, but the horse will listen to mine. Reyna can borrow it, and Arcadia can stop being an asshole."

Sarah closed her eyes. That last part just slipped out. Sarah was dead. She was very dead. Arcadia laughed and spoke, "I'm sorry. Can you repeat that?"

At the moment, Sarah knew she should have kept her mouth shut, but something in her couldn't. She spoke, "I would be happy to. You doubt Reyna's ability, even though you've never seen it. We've all heard the story about the temple of the Fates, but that's in the past. Do any of you see what's going on?"

"I don't," Arcadia said sitting up. "If you ever talk to me like that again, I will bury you. Why don't you run back to your little demititans and sit tight till we have orders for you. That's what you're good at."

Sarah looked down. Courage wasn't her strong suit, so she turned away. She wanted to turn back towards Arcadia and tell her that it wasn't right to tear down Reyna's confidence. Instead, she walked out of tent.

It took her a moment to realize that she probably should have stayed. Her nose was still broken, and there was still plenty of bruises. Sarah rubbed her face. There was no way that she could walk back in there.

Anger was the only thing that gave Sarah any kind of courage. Without that, she was nothing. Sarah took a deep breath and walked towards the demititans' camp. Someone grabbed her arm.

"You still look like crap," Red commented. She pulled Sarah towards the forest. "Come on."

Sarah raised an eyebrow in confusion. It wasn't like Red to take an interest in anything, and now, she was leading Sarah to the forest like there was something important. Red smiled and winked at her. The two walked deeper into the forest.

"Did you take me out here to kill me?" Sarah joked. The joke felt hollow in her chest. Her life sucked at the moment, and humor couldn't cheer her up like it use to.

"Yeah," Red said. She laughed. Sarah managed a small smile. Red never laughed at her jokes. "I'm not kidding Sarah. Sorry."

Sarah turned around and saw a knife flying towards her face. She brought her arm up, and cold metal sunk into her arm near her elbow. Red slammed her into the nearest tree and tore the knife through Sarah's skin. A cruel look was in her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Sarah demanded. She stared at the long gash that had been cut from her elbow to her wrist. "Why are you working with Metis?"

"I am not working with Metis. This is bigger than her," Red said. "This is so much bigger. I promise you that the demititans will be fine. Your father will be fine, if he joins us."

"Us?" Sarah asked. "What do you mean us? You can't be talking about the Titans."

"No," Red replied. "We want the power to correct the injustices of this world, and most of the Titans don't care about our struggle. That is why my mother helped the daughter of Athena loosen her tongue about Reyna's patricide. She's been helping cause little disputes here and there," Red explained.

"What injustices are you talking about?" Sarah demanded. She wanted to struggle with Red but couldn't. Red was much stronger than her.

"The injustices that have been tormenting us our entire life," Red said. "We will restore what is right. Power will be in the hands that it should have been in, but you have to die. I am sorry."

Red slammed her head into Sarah's. The move left Sarah completely stunned. A fist slammed into her face, and she was thrown to the ground. Instinct caused her to roll to the side.

A knife sunk into the ground where Sarah's head had been. She slammed into Red and pinned her. Her weapons were back at her tent, and there was no way she could win in hand to hand combat. That really limited her options, and it was taking all of her strength to hold Red down.

"You really are pathetic," Red commented. "Alex was protecting you this entire time. I thought it was just your little charade to be noticed. This is why you have to die. You would crumble underneath the pressure of this revolution."

"What revolution?" Sarah demanded. She tried to think but suddenly found herself on the ground with Red pinning her. Sarah cursed at herself angrily.

"I am sorry," Red said. "Well, I'm not really sorry. Anyway, I hope you see Alex again. It was kind of nice knowing you."

Red released one of Sarah's arm, and since it was the one with the gash, she had to assume that Sarah wouldn't risk further injury by doing anything. That logic earned Red a punch right to the throat. She was thrown to the side.

Sarah scrambled to her feet but felt two hands grab her cloak. Red slammed her face first into the tree. She wrapped one arm around Sarah's neck and spoke, "Nice try."

Red's other hand moved to the side of Sarah's head. Sarah used both of her hands to grab that arm. There was no way she was getting a broken neck.

"Are we doing this the hard way?" Red wondered. She tightened the grip. Sarah couldn't breath, and the thought of being strangled was a horrifying one. All she wanted to do was draw on some strength and break free, but nothing came.

Agonizingly painful seconds passed as Sarah struggled with Red. The only thing she received for her efforts was a cruel laugh. Red slammed Sarah into the ground a moment later and used a knee to keep her pinned.

"You are so pathetic," Red whispered. Sarah scratched at Red's arm. Things were starting to become blurry, and her lungs ached from the lack of air. "Let go of my other arm, and I promise to make it quick."

A branch snapped in the distance. Sarah' eyes moved to identify a woman wrapped in a cloak. The grip on her neck tightened even more, and she was pulled to her knees.

"Mother, are we sure we can't use her as a pawn?" Red asked. Sarah's hands slowly lost their grip on Red's arm. Everything was turning dark, and there was nothing she could do. "She would be easy to control."

"No," the woman responded. "She is too close. We must have disorder, chaos, and disunity. Any leader that may stand against us must be eliminated. Now is her time. Soon, we will strike the others. Metis must be defeated first."

Sarah watched the two as her eyes slowly closed. She forced them open, but they soon closed again. Everything was fading away, but Sarah couldn't allow herself to just give up. Her brain seemed to shut down as no ideas came.

The grip on Sarah's neck suddenly released. She collapsed to the ground coughing and wheezing for breath. A glance up showed that the woman was gone. Sarah laid her head on the ground and tried to breath. It hurt, but it was better than being strangled.

"What are you doing?" Hylla demanded. She shoved Red to the ground. Red scooted backwards and looked at Sarah.

"Tell them," Sarah wheezed. She felt someone kneel by her. A glance to her left showed Kinzie. Sarah looked back at Red. "Tell them why you attacked me."

"Revolution," Red replied. She grabbed the knife that had been stabbed into the ground. Red stabbed herself in the throat before anyone could stop her. Sarah stared in horror.

"We need to get her back to the camp," Kinzie said. Sarah didn't register Hylla's response. It was a surprise that she registered being pulled to her feet. The two Amazons helped her walk back towards the camp, since Sarah was preoccupied with trying to cough out her lung.

"How did you know?" Sarah wheezed after a minute. She coughed again and tried to calm her breathing. Sarah wouldn't meet their eyes. It was embarrassing that the Amazons had to save her.

"I told Hylla that she should apologize to you," Kinzie replied. "We saw you two leaving the camp, and Hylla kept arguing with me. She finally stormed after you, and we were lucky enough to hear the commotion. Why did Red attack you though?"

"I don't know," Sarah replied truthfully. She was still trying to sort out everything in her head. Hylla turned towards her. The Amazon took a deep breath like she was about to do something painful.

"I'm sorry," Hylla said. "I shouldn't have punched you in the face. We should have talked it through."

It's cool. I forgive you," Sarah replied like it wasn't a big deal. She rubbed her throat. "We will talk, later. You should also talk to your sister. Arcadia isn't a good motivational speaker. Where is Ulysses?"

The answer came when they reached the camp. A large crowd of demititans was gathered around, along with a few of the Romans and barbarians. Sarah pushed past them and made her way to the front. Her heart dropped.

Avaris was kneeling over Ulysses. Both of her hands were pressed to the multiple chest wounds that he had. Sarah walked towards Ulysses and collapsed to her knees. She closed his lifeless eyes.

"Who did this?" Sarah asked. She felt hollow. It was like everything in the world had fallen away. All she wanted was answers, and someone was going to supply them.

"Red's sword was found in his chest," a demititan answered. Sarah was too distracted to recognize their voice. "He was barely alive when we found him."

Sarah grabbed Ulysses' sword and stood. She took a deep breath and spoke, "Bury him. He would have liked it here. Someone grab his dagger and get it for me. I will return it to his father. Be ready to march when the Romans are."

"Why would Red do this?" another demititan asked. Sarah thought about what to say.

"Red was working with her mother: Eris," Sarah replied. "They want some kind of revolution. I don't know what that means, but we figure it out after this war. For now, I want everyone working. Go."

Sarah watched the demititans slowly walk away. They were all whispering to themselves. She felt someone grab her arm. Avaris was speaking to her and touching her neck. It didn't register with Sarah.

"I need to talk to Reyna," Sarah said after a moment. Even though others were around, she was speaking to herself. She felt Avaris lead her to the tent.

When they were inside, Arcadia looked at Sarah. Her eyes narrowed into a glare. Sarah ignored the goddess and walked towards Reyna. The daughter of Bellona slowly looked at her. It looked like she had been asleep.

"I think we have a problem," Sarah began. "After we defeat Metis, I think another shitstorm is headed our way, and we are not prepared for it."


	47. Latet Anguis in Herba

**I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who has given support to my writing. Thank you everyone for following, favoriting, reviewing, and reading any of my stories. I hope you continue to enjoy.**

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Clarisse glared at the nearest wall in disgust. All of this crap just didn't make sense to her. She was tired of discussing what they needed to do. Action had to be taken against the barbarians, but Boudica had gone and ruined everything.

Clarisse was all for harsh action. Sometimes, soldiers had to be whipped into shape, but they didn't have to be literally whipped. It disgusted Clarisse, and she still needed to find Reyna. They had to work together to stop Thoon.

The daughter of Ares studied the room that she was in. It seemed to be a security room. Monitors were everywhere, and there was a closed laptop in front of her. Clarisse had found the room by accident, and it was her secret room.

The laptop in front of her beckoned her attention. Clarisse finally opened it. A cord was plugged into it to keep it powered. The screen slowly turned on, and she was surprised to find herself looking at the feed of numerous video cameras.

Clarisse blinked a few times and saw a cord on the laptops' other side. It was connected to more devices underneath the desk. She glanced at the feeds and looked for anything interesting. All she saw people sitting around or sleeping. That was the problem that everyone seemed to have.

They were suppose to be fighting a war, but they weren't doing anything. Their army had been divided in half. How were they going to win the war? They were literally the worst.

Clarisse minimized the window and found numerous files in front of her. The files all had a month and a date attached to them. The oldest was from a few years ago. Clarisse clicked on a folder that was untitled. That was where all the fun stuff was.

She found herself staring at a few videos. None of them were titled. Something told her that the videos had something incriminating on them. Clarisse clicked on the video. It took a full moments to load, and she sat back. If everyone was going to waste time by sitting around, she would too.

A security camera showed a girl leaning over a desk. The desk held a replica of Camp Half-Blood. Besides missing the cabins that had been added after the war with Kronos, the model looked exactly like Camp Half-Blood. The girl sighed and rubbed her face.

"There are two entrances to the camp using the Labyrinth," the girl commented. "A large strike group could hit one entrance, but if Camp Half-Blood had advanced warning, they could turn the surprise attack into a slaughter. The second entrance would only be good for reconnaissance or an assassination."

The girl rubbed her chin and walked around the table. It was hard to see what she looked like. All Clarisse could see was black hair. The girl had the build of a strategist, but Clarisse could see muscles that had been honed from years of hard work.

"We could divide our army into three teams. Our most heavily armored can attack the hill and provide a distraction. Our lightest can attack by the ocean and try to draw out some troops. The third could navigate the labyrinth and attack from both entrances," the girl continued.

"Camp Jupiter will be trickier, but if we take out their praetors, the job will be easier," the girl muttered. The door opened behind her, and she turned. Another girl entered the picture, and when she took off her hood, Clarisse recognized her as Sarah.

"I thought I would find you here," Sarah commented walking towards the girl. "You told me that you were going to destroy this model. Alex, you just became a leader. If anyone saw this, it would jeopardize your position."

Alex shook her head and turned back towards the model. She spoke, "We can use this, Sarah. We can take out Camp Half-Blood. This could change everything."

Clarisse leaned forward in interest. She knew that Alex had been killed by Metis during the mission to rescue Athena. It was odd that she wanted to attack Camp Half-Blood, but it only made it seem like they couldn't trust the demititans. That was a shame. Clarisse actually liked them.

"It could destroy us," Sarah said. "We have a few children of the minor gods that have joined us as a gesture of peace. It's a start. Besides, Artemis has been keeping a closer eye on us. There is nothing we can do but sit tight."

"I don't like sitting tight," Alex snapped. She turned on Sarah. "We can use this plan to take the Greeks out. We can have revenge. Do you remember the meeting that I had with Eirene? She wanted to talk about introducing us to the Greeks and Romans to make peace."

"She told me about how they work," Alex continued. "I know who to target. We could do this. Sarah, I can convince the others, and Yvonne is going to step down soon. You're popular. You could win the election."

"Alex, I'm not going to support this," Sarah said. She walked towards the model and suddenly shoved it off of the table. The model broke into pieces.

"What are you doing?" Alex demanded. She stared at the broken model. "That was our ticket!"

"I'm sorry about what happened to your mother," Sarah said. She took a step backwards. "But, this isn't right. You can't take revenge on the Olympians. It will only lead to ruin."

Alex grabbed Sarah by her jacket. She slammed her into the wall and spoke, "When you are elected, I will suggest that we make contact with the Greeks, and if something goes wrong, we go to war. You will give your support. Understood?"

Clarisse stopped the video. Her mind was racing. If Alex had been planning an attack, Sarah seemed to know about it. Sarah had seen the model, so she would know where the other Labyrinth entrance at Camp Half-Blood was. They needed to talk to find the demititan.

Clarisse stood but suddenly stopped. She sat back down and closed the video. Her eyes scanned the files, and she clicked on the folder that she was looking for. As the folder opened, she saw a plethora of choices.

It took Clarisse a moment to identify the date that the senators had died on. She clicked on the folder and waited. Numerous videos appeared. They all had a room for a name, and the names meant nothing to Clarisse. Luckily, the thumbnails showed her who was in the videos.

The daughter of Ares clicked on the video that she needed. It started up with the two Senators asleep in the room. Clarisse skipped ahead to the middle of the videos. It was twenty four hours long, so she had a lot to skip through. She finally found what she wanted as Reyna entered the room.

Hank and Larry were both talking, but it was too quiet for the camera to pick up. They turned as they heard Reyna. The daughter of Bellona walked towards them and spoke, "We need to talk about having your legion and mine fight together."

"We don't need a traitor to tell us what to do," Hank said crossing his arms. "Besides, you are going to have to talk to Boudica. I'm sure she introduced herself to you."

"I think she will be more effective than you," Larry added. Reyna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It seemed like she was controlling her anger. Reyna's hand gripped her sword, but she let go of it and gripped the table.

"We have to work together," Reyna began. She moved around the desk that separated them and stopped in front of the senators. "You can hate me all you want. You can insult me as much as you desire, but we must work together, for the sake of the Romans."

Hank and Larry looked at each other. They had a conversation in Latin. While Clarisse didn't understand a word of Latin, she could understand that the change of languages was meant as an insult to Reyna. The daughter of Bellona closed her eyes and took deep breaths.

The conversation was extremely dragged out. Larry would say something, and Hank acted like he was thinking about it. Reyna pushed her fist in to the desk. It seemed to be her way of calming down.

The door behind them suddenly opened. Reyna turned and looked at Boudica. The two met eyes and stared at each other for a long time. Boudica walked towards them.

Without warning, Boudica unsheathed a sword. She stabbed Hank in the chest. Boudica pulled the sword out of Hank's chest and used the momentum to slit Larry's throat. She then turned and shoved the sword into Reyna's hands.

Reyna stared at the sword in shock. Boudica darted across the room and unsheathed another sword. As the senators' bodies hit the floor, the door opened. Annabeth stepped into the room.

Clarisse paused the video and rubbed her forehead. This was freaking great. Boudica had managed to frame Reyna perfectly, and no one believed Reyna. There was no way that anyone would trust her. It was a genius move by Boudica.

Clarisse took a moment to consider her options. She needed to rally everyone against Boudica, but there was a lot of people who trusted Boudica. Who cared if she was a Speculatores? Clarisse sure didn't.

That brought up the question of what to do. Clarisse needed to show the video to someone, but she didn't know who. The Hunters were out of the question. Thalia hated Reyna's guts, and she was probably pleased about what had happened.

They did have the Amazons from Greece. Would Adonia even care though? She had been advocating for a fight. Clarisse had been too, but she also understood the intricacies that came with such thought. They had to deal with Boudica first, and Adonia probably didn't care about that.

She couldn't go to the Romans. They were being controlled by Boudica. That left her with the Greeks. Clarisse hated all of their guts though. They had not told her about Chris.

Clarisse closed the laptop and stood. She opened the door and walked out. Until she made up her mind, she would just walk around and think out her next move. Clarisse walked until she saw Sally.

Sally was interesting. She was the mother of Percy, and she was not a demigod. Sally didn't have their combat skills or the built in survival skills that every demigod had. Percy had been training her, but progress was slow.

At the moment, Sally was looking at her sword like it was a foreign object. The blue blade almost seemed to be glowing. Clarisse's own sword was black. It could also turn into a spear, so it was perfect for her.

"Can we talk?" Clarisse asked as she approached Sally. "I need to talk to you about something, but it has to be in private. You can't tell anyone about it."

Sally slowly looked at Clarisse. She didn't answer, but it seemed like Sally was more overwhelmed than anything else. She finally nodded and followed Clarisse to an empty room. An awkward silence filled the room for a few moments.

Clarisse finally opened the laptop and played the video of Boudica framing Reyna. When the video ended, Clarisse looked at Sally. The daughter of Ares didn't know what reaction she was looking for, but she would be mad if she didn't get it.

"We should show this to Annabeth," Sally began. She looked back at the laptop. "But, what is Boudica going to do when she finds out we know?"

"That's what I am worried about," Clarisse said. "Boudica can do a lot of damage, even if she is just one woman. I don't want her knowing, and I need to talk to Sarah."

"Sarah? I'm not sure who Sarah is," Sally said. "I don't really know anyone. Boudica offered to help catch me up, after she invited me to dinner."

"She invited you to dinner?" Clarisse asked. She leaned on the table. "Who all did she invite?"

"Annabeth, Percy, Thalia, Frank, and I," Sally replied. "I think she also invited the leader of the Greek Amazons. Oh, she also invited Chiron, once he gets out of the infirmary."

Clarisse nodded slightly. She remembered how Chiron had been brought in from the barbarian camp. Torture was a light word for it. The barbarians wanted all of Chiron's information, and he had not said a word.

Despite being a child of Ares, the sight of Chiron had made Clarisse sick. Chiron had been unable to talk, but from what she knew, he was making a quick recovery. They still didn't know where Leo and his girlfriend were. That was no surprise.

"Boudica is going to try something," Clarisse said. She knew it in her gut. "At the dinner, something is going to go down. Lupa was sent her by Boudica, and I think Lupa wants her pet to do a hostile takeover. That's what Romans like to do. They conquer everything, so they can do what they think is correct."

Sally slowly nodded. Clarisse closed the laptop and picked it up. She walked out the room and tried to think of her next move. There wasn't anyone that she really trusted. It sounded bad, but that was just how she was. Clarisse didn't let that many people, and those who had been close were now dead.

Clarisse looked back at the laptop. She realized that she had hit a fork in the road. On one side, there was Camp Half-Blood, Camp Jupiter, and the Hunters. They had the support of the Olympians and stability. The other side had Reyna and her Romans. They had numbers and probably more skill.

Could Clarisse really turn her back on Camp Half-Blood? Her siblings were there, and that place had been her second home for a long time. They were in a war though. It wasn't time to be sentimental.

Clarisse needed to do what she knew was right. Besides, Camp Half-Blood couldn't touch her. She was the champion of Lachesis. Clarisse made up her mind and reached into her pocket. She grabbed a golden drachma and looked at it. Now, all she needed to do was find somewhere to make an Iris message.


	48. Ubi Concordia, Ibi Victoria

**CyberRoss: Yes. Reyna is still the protector of Rome.**

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Clarisse was very aware of everyone staring at her. She couldn't blame them, considering she had just appeared in the middle of their camp. A message had been sent to Nico Di'Angelo and his magical powers of shadow traveling. It got her to the Roman camp, and that was all she wanted.

It only took four seconds to find Reyna. The daughter of Bellona was leaning against a tree and watching over the Romans. She looked terrible, and it seemed like she would pass out at any moment. Clarisse took a moment to walk towards her.

Most of the Romans stopped working. They were watching her. It was like they could smell the Greek on her. Clarisse sighed and continued her walk towards Reyna. There was three other people crowded around Reyna.

One of them, of course, was Hylla. Another was that goddess Arcadia. The third seemed to be Sarah. They were all having a heated conversation, but Reyna looked like she wanted them to just shut up. Reyna took a deep breath and looked at Clarisse.

"Did the Greeks send you to threaten us?" Arcadia wondered. She crossed her arms and looked at Clarisse unimpressed. "It is quite pitiful, even if you are the archangel."

"I'm here to help," Clarisse said. She opened the laptop and turned it towards them. Sarah stared at it and stepped forward. "Do you recognize this, demititan?"

"That belonged to Alex. I thought it was destroyed," Sarah said. She took another step forward. "How do you have it?"

"I found it," Clarisse replied. She clicked on the video of Boudica killing the senators. Everyone fell silent as they watched it. When it finished, Reyna laid her head against the tree.

"You were telling the truth," Hylla said after a moment. She looked at her sister. "I'm sorry. I thought you just snapped and lost it."

"Are you this footage is real?" Arcadia asked. "From what I've heard, Alex was a daughter of Prometheus. She could have some kind of program or something. We can' take this to the Greeks, if there is even a chance of this being fake."

"I didn't do it," Reyna snapped. "I didn't kill them! The proof is staring you in the face, and you refuse to believe it!"

"Imperator, I have sworn my loyalty to you. I don't care if you killed them or not. The simple fact is that your mental state is in shambles. There is no way to trust whatever comes out of your mouth," Arcadia explained. Reyna stared at the goddess.

Reyna finally looked away. Clarisse closed the laptop and stared at the scene in front of her. She spoke, "I don't think Reyna killed them. The video is more than enough proof of that, and it's simple logic. She wants back at Camp Jupiter, so why would she ruin that?"

"The imperator isn't going to be allowed back anyway," Arcadia said. "She could get a pardon from Lupa herself, and it won't matter. The Romans won't take her back after all that has happened."

"It's the truth," Hylla agreed. She looked at her sister. "Reyna, I'm sorry. There is no way for you to go back to Camp Jupiter."

Reyna looked down at the ground. She took a deep breath and spoke, "Just stop talking to me. I want to be alone."

"Reyna, you need to hear this," Hylla insisted. "Camp Jupiter won't take you back. Even if you save the world, it is not going to happen. We all know that, but you don't. That hinders us. Your belief in them accepting you again is holding us back."

"You don't want me to hold us back?" Reyna demanded. She looked up. "Fine. I won't hold us back. We can forget about going to Camp Jupiter. Let's go right back to the demititan base and wipe everyone out. Would that make you happy?"

"You're not thinking straight," Hylla began. She took a step forward.

"What do you want me to do then?" Reyna yelled. "I am doing everything that I can. I have done everything for the Olympians, for the camps, and for the entire fucking world! What more can you want from me?"

Reyna laid her head against the tree. She looked up and blinked tears away. Reyna spoke, "We march in ten minutes. No more delays. I don't want anyone else to talk to me."

Arcadia shook her head and walked away without another word. It took Hylla a minute to turn her back and walked away. Clarisse refused to move an inch. She simply crossed her arms.

"They're right," Clarisse said. "You won't be able to go back to Camp Jupiter. The things you have done confirm that, but you're also right. No one has given you credit but get over it. You have a job to do. Does the Greek have to tell you how a Roman would act?"

"We have to put this right," Clarisse continued. "The Arimaspi must be taken down. Metis has to be taken down. After that is done, you can relax."

"Something tells me that's not true," Reyna commented. She closed her eyes. "I don't want to lose my home. Camp Jupiter has been one of the best things that has happened to me."

"If you love something, you have to let it go," Sarah interrupted. "That's a hard lesson that we all learn. Reyna, you can do better with the Sixth Legion. They handle monsters that would tear apart normal demigods, right? You have a new life, and maybe, you can repair those bonds with Camp Jupiter."

"Clarisse, what would you do if you were in my situation?" Reyna asked. Clarisse took a moment to think. It didn't take long for her to find the answer.

"I would find the Arimaspi and kick their ass. They are probably at Camp Half-Blood. It's extremely defensible, and they probably don't have another base like it in America," Clarisse answered. She looked at Sarah. "But, you know a way in. It was on Alex's model."

"The Labyrinth entrance," Sarah muttered. She rubbed her face. There was a bandage covering her arm. Clarisse didn't remember seeing the wound before, so they must have gotten into a skirmish with barbarians. "It might work."

"Sarah, what would you do?" Reyna asked. Sarah turned and looked at Reyna in surprise. "If you had all of these armies at your disposal, how would you go about it?"

"It depends," Sarah answered after a moment. "I'm not really a child of war, but I know what Alex would do."

"What would Sarah do?" Reyna questioned. "Not Alex. You. What would you do, if you had the choice?"

Sarah rubbed the back of her neck. She spoke, "I guess it depends on my goal. If I wanted to take out the barbarians, I would find their base and attack, but that could backfire. We really don't know about how many troops they have. We don't have enough information to feel comfortable in an attack."

"I would send scouts to look at Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood," Sarah continued. "Then, I would decide if I wanted to work with the Greeks. If so, I would take one of the camps and give it to them as a gesture of goodwill. Either way, Boudica has to be dealt with."

"I don't know how to deal with Boudica," Reyna admitted. "If I attack, innocent Greek and Romans could die. I also can't afford for Boudica to get into my head again."

"What do you mean get into your head?" Clarisse questioned. She crossed her arms.

"I knew that I didn't kill Hank and Larry, but then, Boudica started talking. She told me how I had killed them, and as she described it, I couldn't help but see it. It was like Boudica was altering my memory," Reyna explained.

"Mnemosyne," Sarah said suddenly. "Titaness of memory. Her children can manipulate someone's memory. All they have to do is look them in the eyes and speak."

"Wait," Clarisse interrupted. "Boudica is the daughter of a Titan, but she's a Roman. How could she even be trained by Lupa? Why would Lupa send her to take control of the Romans?"

"She didn't," Reyna realized. She laid her head back. "I should have known. Lupa would have come to the camp and told us. She wouldn't have just sent someone. I sent Arcadia to find Lupa, but she was nowhere to be found."

"We walked right into a trap," Clarisse realized. "We are idiots. Metis is the one who sent Boudica. Why didn't we question it?"

"The senators died before anyone could," Reyna replied. "There was too much chaos, and everyone went with the flow. How are we going to deal with Boudica?"

"Just assassinate her," Sarah said. As they both looked at her, she shifted awkwardly. It was like Sarah wasn't use to people paying attention to her. "One arrow is all it takes."

"That's a coward move," Clarisse argued. She looked at the demititan and wasn't surprised. Sarah didn't seem like a fighter, and with the bow on her back, she would probably get destroyed in a real fight. "Besides, that will just make us look worse."

"We need to find a way to talk to the leaders. It would have to be on a neutral ground, with someone mediating," Reyna said. "We can't worry about that now. Sarah, could you send scouts to Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood?"

"Of course," Sarah replied. "They can ride ahead and have a full report ready for you by the time you arrive."

"You'll need a place for the scouts to meet us," Clarisse added. "I know some strategic places outside of Camp Half-Blood, and I'm sure Reyna knows some for Camp Jupiter."

Sarah shifted uncomfortably. After a moment, she spoke, "I don't think that will be necessary. The scouts already know where to go."

"And, how would the scouts know?" Clarisse questioned. Sarah looked down and shook her head. It seemed like she was scared to speak. Clarisse crossed her arms. "How long have you been spying on us?"

"Years. Decades. Forever. Demititans are destined to be the enemies of demigods, and we wanted to be prepared," Sarah replied. "When the second Titan war began, most of the demititans thought we were in trouble, and they wanted every camp mapped out."

"How did you map out the camps?" Clarisse asked. It was not a good thing that demititans could figure that out. Who else would know about the layout of the camp?

"Camp Half-Blood was easy. We simply waited and found a demigod that was grateful enough to tell us every detail. They died during the war with Kronos," Sarah explained. "Camp Jupiter was more difficult, but Romans are like the rest of us; they love money. The Amazon base was thanks to a kid. We just didn't know that she would try to kill Reyna."

"Candice? She's a spy for the demititans?" Reyna asked after a moment. Sarah nodded slightly. "My sister will kill you if she finds out."

"Or knock a few teeth out," Sarah muttered. "I'll have the scouts move out ahead of us. Then, I'll make sure that Eous is ready to ride out. There is a horse for your sister as well, and Clarisse, we can spare another horse, if you want."

"Yeah. I think that would be good," Clarisse said. Sarah nodded and walked away. It didn't take long for her to disappear into the crowd of Romans.

"Are you sure you want to be seen working with me?" Reyna asked. Clarisse looked at her. "I'm hated by Olympians and pretty much every demigod that isn't in this camp. Do you want that on your head? I won't blame you for leaving."

"We are champions of the Fates," Clarisse said. "It doesn't matter what others think about us. The Olympians should fear us, and other demigods should as well. I'm headed to college anyway, so Camp Half-Blood will have four years to get over whatever I do."

Reyna nodded slightly. She spoke, "We need Sally to help us. Thoon can only be defeated by the three of us and the Fates. Clarisse, you and I know that a big battle is coming soon. Metis doesn't want me as a vessel. She wants Thoon to kill me."

"Then, we send Metis to Tartarus and have Thoon follow," Clarisse said with a shrug. It wasn't that hard. Reyna was nearly impossible to kill, from what Clarisse had seen. "We just need Kronos sword to destroy Metis."

"We have it," Reyna promised. "When I stabbed myself in the chest with Kronos' blade, I passed out. Circe took the blade, and I think she gave it to Metis. It's my fault that Enyo is in Tartarus."

"That's not a big loss," Clarisse commented. She didn't know how Enyo ended up in Tartarus, but did it really matter? "All that matters is that we have the sword. Can you walk?"

"No," Reyna answered. "I can barely stand on my own two feet. I don't know how I'm going to be able to fight."

"If you can't fight, we can't take out Thoon," Clarisse realized. She smirked. "That's a pretty genius plan, and everyone can't see why that's a problem, since they hate you so much. That's okay though. We're going to put Boudica in the ground."

Reyna didn't respond. Her gaze was focused ahead. It seemed like there was a lot on her mind. For Clarisse, it was the exact opposite. Boudica needed to be taken out, and the daughter of Ares was tired of sitting around. It was time for action.


	49. In Crucem Actio

**CyberRoss: Jason and Frank do not know.**

* * *

Riding on a horse was just as terrible as Reyna thought it would be. She gripped the horses reins and closed her eyes. All she could do was bite her tongue until she tasted blood. That probably wasn't a good thing.

Reyna slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Hylla was on her right side and examining the horse that she was riding. The horse did not seem to like her. At first, it had refused to allow Hylla to ride it, and Sarah spent over a minute talking to the horse, before it finally agreed.

It was the same issue with Clarisse. The horse had recoiled at her touch. It took Sarah about two minutes to convince that horse to calm down. Reyna's horse wasn't so bad. She had spoken to it in the language of the Titans, and in response, the horse nuzzled her hand.

That didn't stop the killer pain that was shooting through her back. Every step the horse took only made it worse. Reyna slowly looked to her left, as she heard another horse. Wynris entered her vision.

"How are you feeling?" Wynris questioned. He placed one hand to his horse's head. The horse had a mane that was the color of blood, and it was missing an eye. Reyna stared at the remaining eye and slowly looked at Wynris.

"Fine," Reyna muttered. It hurt to speak. She resisted the urge to close her eyes. There was also the urge to dismount the horse and just lay on the ground. All she wanted to do was be left alone. "Is there something that you needed?"

"I wanted to talk about Boudica," Wynris replied. "I have been thinking it over for a long time, and I realized that we have all been fooled."

"We figured that out earlier," Reyna said. She gripped the horses' reins tighter. "We learned that Boudica wasn't sent there by Lupa. She was probably sent by Metis."

"Boudica is also a barbarian," Wynris said. Reyna nodded slightly. When Boudica had said her actions were a little barbaric, Reyna had just assumed that she was a barbarian. With everything that had happened, the thought had just slipped through the cracks.

"Is there anything else important?" Reyna questioned. She watched Wynris closely. He looked away, as if he was deciding what to say.

"When I was a child, we heard many stories about Boudica. She was a hero to us. Boudica did not falter in the face of Rome, despite the fact that she was a woman. Barbarians flocked to join her. Most of our females aspired to be her," Wynris explained. "She is a very important symbol and an amazing general."

"She'll be trouble on the battlefield," Reyna assumed. Wynris nodded. "So, what should I do about her? She is untouchable."

"You must take her out," Wynris answered. "She cannot be allowed to live. If she goes into battle with Camp Jupiter against barbarians, she can easily have Camp Jupiter wiped out."

Reyna looked down and spoke, "So, I have to kill her and risk causing a war between the camps and us, or I allow her to do whatever she desires to completely unaware demigods."

"Anyone could kill her," Wynris said. "It's just a matter of finding the right time and place to commit the deed. She would probably have to be alone, or a shot could be taken from afar. Do the Romans have any good archers?"

"I don't know," Reyna admitted. "I am sure that the demititans do. We will have to discuss a plan. Thank you for bringing this to my attention."

"That's not the only thing I wanted to talk about," Wynris said quietly. He took a deep breath. "You are the Reaper. You are suppose to kill those who returned from Hades and Tartarus. All of the Huns came from Hades, and eventually, you will have kill us."

Reyna looked down. That was not something she had thought of. It was probably because she didn't want to think of it. Reyna rubbed her face and slowly looked at Wynris. He had a small smile on his face.

"I have found a solution," Wynris began. "The Huns are seen throughout history as monsters. I want to change that. When you attack whichever camp, the Huns should be on the front line. Every casualty will be a victory for the Huns."

"The Huns are willing to do that?" Reyna questioned. "Why?"

"We are warriors," Wynris replied. "I do not want us to be hunted down one by one like dogs. I want us to go out like the warriors we are. All of us. I can give you the funeral arrangements for a Hun. All I ask is that you bury us properly."

Reyna watched him for a long moment. She finally spoke, "Wynris, I appreciate this. I will honor the funeral arrangements, and I will find a way to honor the Huns."

"The only way you need to honor us is by sending us into battle," Wynris said. A smile came to his face, and he held out a hand. "It will be a honor to do this."

Reyna slowly shook Wynris' hand. She watched him pull his horse away to meet up with the other Huns. Nico's horse pulled up a moment later. It was a skeleton horse, which was pretty cool.

"Hey Nico. How are you doing?" Reyna questioned. It had been too long since they had talked. Nico smiled at her but examined her with worried eyes.

"I'm fine," Nico replied. "How are you feeling? It looks like you're in horrible pain."

"That obvious?" Reyna muttered. She managed a small smile. "How have you been during all of this?"

"Worried about you," Nico responded. "You've gotten into a lot of trouble, and I haven't been able to help you with any of it. I've been hearing stories, and none of them sound good."

"Some of them are true," Reyna admitted. She looked down. "We'll talk about it, after the war. I promise. Why did you leave the Greeks though? Especially Will."

"You need friends," Nico replied. "I already talked it over with Will, and it won't be a problem with Camp Half-Blood. I've always been a loner, and I've always blended into the background. They probably won't notice when I'm back."

Reyna watched him for a moment. She finally smiled and spoke, "Thank you, Nico. I appreciate any friendly face that I can get, especially right now."

Nico smiled at her. They walked for a few minutes in silence. It was nice for Reyna to have someone that wouldn't judge her or get angry at her for no reason. It was nice to have someone on her side. Reyna sighed tiredly and closed her eyes.

When Reyna opened her eyes, she saw an Iris message in front of her. She immediately stopped her horse and stared at the Iris message, The figure had their back turned. They slowly turned, and Reyna recognized Sarah.

Sarah had gone ahead with the scouts to Camp Jupiter. She was suppose to scout out everything and establish a safe place for them to camp. Due to the look on her face, Reyna could tell that something went wrong.

"Is anyone injured?" Reyna questioned quickly. She noticed that everyone else had stopped walking. Most were staring at her and the Iris message. Sarah slowly looked behind her. It took her even longer to look back at Reyna.

"You might want to come here, now," Sarah answered after a moment. "I don't think the rest of the legion will be necessary. You should probably divert them to Camp Half-Blood."

"What happened?" Reyna asked. A terrible feeling settled in gut. Sarah shook her head and didn't answer. "Sarah, what happened?"

"Camp Jupiter is empty. Well, what is left of it is," Sarah answered. She looked sickened and rubbed her face. "You can use Eous to travel quickly, but it will exhaust him."

"We could just shadow travel," Nico suggested. Reyna didn't respond. She was too busy staring at Sarah. Without another word, the demititan ended the Iris message.

Reyna slowly turned to look at Arcadia. She spoke, "You're in charge, while I'm gone. Get everyone to Camp Half-Blood as soon as you can."

"I can get everyone there pretty quickly," Arcadia commented. "All I need is the doctor to release me from what she calls taking it easy."

"You're going to rest," Reyna said angrier than she meant to. All the words that Arcadia had said to her were coming back at full speed. It only made her angrier at the goddess. "You're injured, and I will not have you injuring yourself worse, unless it is absolutely necessary."

Arcadia glared but gave a small nod. There was no way that she would disobey her imperator. Reyna turned to look at Nico. The son of Hades had already jumped off his horse and walked towards the shadows.

Reyna took a deep breath. This was going to hurt. She slowly dismounted the horse and had to grip the reins of her horse to keep herself steady. Reyna sighed painfully and slowly walked towards Nico. The pain in her back flared up once again, but it wasn't as bad as before. Her guess was that the nerves in her back were dying. Well, that's what she hoped.

Nico gently grabbed her arm. He spoke, "Are you sure you're up for this?"

"I have to be," Reyna muttered. She closed her eyes and felt the effects of shadow traveling hit her. Reyna felt her feet hit solid ground, and she almost collapsed to her hands and knees. Nico gripped her arm tightly and kept her standing. It took her a few more moments to open her eyes.

Reyna stared at the scene in front of her. She turned away and almost vomited. Nico spoke, "Oh my gods. Why would anyone do this?"

Reyna placed a hand to her mouth. She slowly forced herself to look back. The first thing she saw was how destroyed Camp Jupiter was. Some buildings had been burned to the ground, but others only had one wall standing. Reyna's eyes moved to the most sickening sight.

On some of the destroyed walls, there was crucified Romans. None of them seemed to be alive, and Reyna couldn't tell if that was a blessing or not. Other Romans were crucified on makeshift crosses. Reyna could identify most of their faces, and that only made her sicker.

"There has to be over a hundred," Nico whispered. Reyna nodded slightly. It was the Romans they had lost at the temple of the Fates and everyone they had lost after. There might have even been some Greeks. "Gods, there are young children on the wall. Who is sick enough to do this?"

"We have someone alive!" a demititan yelled. The voice sounded far away. Reyna looked up and tried to squint. She saw a demititan cutting someone down. Reyna gritted her teeth and walked through the ashes. The pain didn't matter anymore.

As she made it to the demititan, Reyna looked down. She stared as she recognized the person they had cut down as Leo. He wasn't conscious, and he looked like he had been through hell. Reyna looked away and spoke, "Nico, can you take him back to the army and have him taken care of? Didn't he have a girlfriend?"

"Calypso," Nico answered. "I don't see her here though. I'll make sure Leo gets taken care of. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to give these Romans a proper burial," Reyna answered. She looked around for Sarah. The demititan was making a slow walk towards her. Reyna waited for Sarah to make it to her side. "Can the demititans help me with cutting the Romans down and burying them?"

"We can," Sarah answered. She looked down and closed her eyes. It was like she wanted to block out what she was seeing. "We'll do whatever you need."

"Thank you," Reyna said. She slowly looked at all of the atrocities and carnage around her. It was a clear message from Metis. The Titaness was going to pay for what she had done. Reyna didn't care what she had to do. Metis was going to pay, and everyone that she had crucified would be avenged.


	50. Pro Bono

Annabeth studied the map in front and took a sip of her drink. To her right, Jason, Hazel and Frank were planning an assault on Camp Jupiter. The plan was for the army to conquer Camp Jupiter and then turn its attention to Camp Half-Blood. With a lot of luck, they could get Reyna to work with them.

Annabeth didn't really want to work with Reyna, but they needed the manpower of the legion and demititans. There was no way they could get around their lack of manpower. Percy nudged her arm and spoke, "Do you think we can flex some muscle with the demititans? I would hate to threaten them, but it might work."

"I don't know," Annabeth admitted. "Red seems to hate our guts. Ulysses would probably work with us. Sarah would be the wild card, so we would have to try and convince her. What do you think about trying to get Hylla on board?"

"After what Boudica did, I don't think we can," Piper said. She was sitting at a table with Sally and looking over books. The books contained writings from the numerous Roman generals that had fought barbarians. Annabeth wanted to know how barbarians fought, so she could take them down.

It took her a few moments to stretch and pace. They had been planning for the past five hours, and she was starting to feel the effects of it. Annabeth spoke, "I'm going to get food for everyone. Does anyone want to help me carry it?"

"I will," Piper offered. She stood and followed Annabeth out of the room. Things had been tense, since Reyna and her legion had left. Some Greeks were disgusted by what Boudica had done. Annabeth didn't blame them.

While she didn't like Reyna, she wasn't going to condone what Boudica had done. No one deserved to have that happen to them. Annabeth glanced at Piper and spoke, "How are we going to handle the legion?"

"I don't know," Piper admitted. "Things are really complicated with Reyna. I don't know how it's going to end, but the Olympians might be the ones who decide it."

"If we're associated with Reyna, it could lead to trouble for us," Annabeth assumed. She sighed, but an Iris message appeared in front of her. It forced her to stop immediately, or she would have ran right through it.

Annabeth stared at Reyna. The daughter of Bellona slowly looked up at her. Sarah was standing by Reyna. They both looked pale and a little sick. Annabeth crossed her arms.

"What do you want?" Annabeth asked. She managed to keep the emotion out of her tone. Reyna slowly looked up at her. The daughter of Bellona slowly stepped to the side. Annabeth's heart dropped.

The first thing she saw was crucified demigods. Then, she saw the destroyed buildings of Camp Jupiter. She quickly looked away. Piper was staring at the scene in front of them.

"Metis did this," Reyna said. "I don't care what has happened between us. This is something that will not go unavenged. If you don't help me, I will take matters into my own hands, and no one is going to stop me."

"Are you threatening us?" Annabeth demanded. She glared at Reyna. The daughter of Bellona just watched her. There was no emotion on her face, but her eyes held sadness. Annabeth suddenly found it hard to swallow. She was use to seeing a stoic or angry Reyna that could take on the world.

"I don't want to hurt anyone but Boudica and her little group of cronies," Reyna said. "They are not on your side, Annabeth. They are barbarians."

"What are you talking about?" Annabeth asked. She crossed her arms. "We wouldn't work with barbarians. Are you even hearing yourself right now?"

"Annabeth, did you ever ask Boudica more about herself, or did you just let her have control of Camp Jupiter?" Reyna asked. "Lupa wouldn't send a Speculatores to take control. They are spies and would have just blended in with the others. Has anyone asked Lupa?"

"We couldn't get in contact with Lupa," Piper replied. She was watching Reyna closely. The daughter of Bellona crossed her arms and gave them a scathing look.

"Isn't that a little suspicious?" Reyna questioned. She looked away and took a deep breath. "Lupa is the only who can confirm whether she sent Boudica or not, but we can't find Lupa. How do you two not find that odd?"

"It is odd," Annabeth admitted. She studied Reyna for a long time. Truthfully, Annabeth didn't want anything to do with Reyna. All she wanted was the daughter of Bellona out of her life. "Hasn't Lupa always been a loner though?"

"Lupa wouldn't abandon her Romans; they're her pack," Sarah interrupted. She motioned to the chaos behind them. "Especially if she knew about this. Something happened to Lupa."

"Wouldn't another immortal have told us about Lupa missing?" Piper asked. "The Olympians have been quieter during this war, but I assumed they were just dealing with the fallout from Ouranos."

Reyna looked away for a few moments. She finally took a deep breath and looked Annabeth in the eyes. Reyna spoke, "Do you remember when we were all trying to stop Gaea. You were in Tartarus, but you sent a message asking me to risk everything, just to help the Greeks out?"

Annabeth nodded slightly. She didn't want to think about Tartarus. It was something that still haunted her nightmares. If she didn't think about it, she wouldn't have a panic attack, and there wouldn't be any pressure threatening to crush her chest.

"You wanted me to risk everything," Reyna said. "Camp Jupiter could have declared me an enemy. I could have just stayed with Camp Jupiter and wiped out Camp Half-Blood, but I didn't. You had faith in me that I would do the right thing. I'm just asking you to give me a little more faith. Please."

Annabeth looked down at the ground. There was no way she could trust Reyna. The daughter of Bellona was a loose cannon, but Reyna always tried to do what was right. Annabeth took a deep breath.

"Can you prove that Boudica is a barbarian?" Annabeth asked. She looked up. "I will not do anything to help you or hurt her, unless you can provide proof. I want proof of everything, before I help with anything."

"I don't know how I am suppose to prove that," Reyna said. She bit her lip and looked at Sarah. It took Sarah a few moments to look at the Iris message. The demititan slowly pulled back her hood. Her eyes focused in on Annabeth's.

"Unless you trust the word of that Hun leader, we can't give you proof that Boudica is a barbarian," Sarah said. "I can tell you that she is a child of Mnemosyne. Boudica can manipulate your memory by looking you in the eyes and telling you what she wants you to remember. Did Clarisse show you the video?"

"What do you mean?" Piper asked. "Clarisse is here. She stormed off, but she should still be here."

"She's not," Sarah said. "Clarisse is with us. She found a laptop that belong to Alex. It was connected to all of the cameras of the base you're at. That laptop has a video of Boudica killing the senators and perfectly blaming it on Reyna."

"Why wouldn't Clarisse show us the video?" Piper questioned. She glanced at Annabeth. At first, Annabeth wanted to think it was because the laptop didn't have any proof on it, but she forced herself to take a deep breath and think about it.

"Clarisse doesn't trust us," Annabeth realized. "We didn't tell her about Chris, so she is upset about that. Clarisse didn't think that we would believe her. She went straight to Sixth Legion and showed the video to people that she could trust."

Reyna watched them silently. She finally spoke, "I'm just asking that you don't let Boudica do anything to Camp Jupiter. It may not be my home anymore, but I need to protect them. We're going to take Camp Half-Blood. Your help would be appreciated, but I understand if you decline."

"Sarah, I found something," a demititan called. Annabeth watched another person enter the view of the Iris message. They were wearing a jacket that seemed like it would perfectly blend into nature. "This was by one of the crucifixion victims."

Sarah held her hand out and stared at the item. She handed it off to Reyna. The daughter of Bellona looked at it, and her jaw clenched. Reyna held up a black pin. It was the same one that the Romans Boudica brought with her wore.

"Boudica did this," Reyna said angrily. "She is going to die, Annabeth. The only question is will it be by my hand or yours?"

"That pin could have come from one of Boudica's Romans, as they were being crucified," Annabeth said. "You need absolute proof, Reyna."

"I'm sure that boy, Leo, can provide us with the information we need," Sarah said. Annabeth quickly exchanged looks with Piper. They knew Leo had been missing, but they just assumed he had been with Calypso.

"Is Leo hurt?" Piper asked. Reyna looked at them and nodded slightly. "How hurt is he? Can we talk to him?"

"I sent him back to the Sixth Legion for medical care," Reyna answered. "You can Iris message Nico and get an update on his condition. Annabeth, will you help me?"

"After I talk to Leo, we'll see," Annabeth answered. She ended the Iris message, without another word. Her mind was racing. Was the black pin on the ground just a coincidence, or was Boudica really ordered by Metis to commit the deed?

"Can we trust Reyna?" Piper asked. Her voice was extremely quiet, and she seemed afraid that someone would overhear her conversation. Annabeth took a long time to think of answer. Before she could respond, they saw Boudica turn the corner.

"Annabeth Chase, I was looking for you," Boudica said. A smile was plastered onto her face. "Come quickly. I need your help with a problem we have."

Annabeth glanced at Piper, but she didn't really have a choice. If she didn't follow Boudica, it would make it seem like something was wrong. Annabeth finally nodded. She followed Boudica away.

The two walked through the long halls in silence. Boudica was grinning about something. Annabeth's mind was racing too much to focus. She felt Boudica stop her, and they stepped into a room.

The first thing Annabeth saw was two men holding someone down. It took her a few moments to recognize Sparta. The Roman looked up at Boudica and glared. Boudica spoke, "They found her during a patrol. It was stupid of the exile to allow her Romans to roam free."

"Our business doesn't concern you," Sparta said. She looked up at Boudica. "If you do anything to me, my imperator will crush you."

"I'm terrified of a teenager," Boudica said. She started laughing. Boudica grabbed a dagger and looked at the men. "Hold her down."

The two men wrestled Sparta to the ground. She struggled with them the entire time. Sparta finally looked up at Boudica and spoke, "You are a coward. You can't even take me on by yourself."

"I told you that you would pay dearly for your disrespect," Boudica said. She stepped on Sparta's wrist and stabbed a dagger through her hand. Boudica twisted the dagger. "I wonder if I can destroy the bones in your hand. Annabeth, what do you think?"

"I think the Greeks should have a shot at her," Annabeth replied. Her mind was racing. "Sparta probably knows the techniques that you would use to get information out of her. She would know nothing of Greek techniques."

Boudica smiled cruelly. She continued to twist the dagger and hummed to herself. After a moment, Boudica nodded to the men. They pulled Sparta to her feet and dragged her towards Annabeth.

Annabeth unsheathed her sword and shoved it under Sparta's chin. A glare was all she received. It took Annabeth a moment to grab Sparta by her armor and drag her out of the room. She waited for them to leave the room behind.

"I want to help," Annabeth whispered. She heard Sparta growl, but the Roman didn't speak. "I know you don't trust me, but you need to."

Annabeth dragged Sparta towards the room that her friends were in. Piper was back in the room, and from the look on everyone's face, the daughter of Aphrodite had told them what happened. Annabeth let go of Sparta and closed the door.

After a moment, Sparta pulled the dagger out of her hand. She looked ready to kill them. Instead, she handed the dagger to Annabeth and spoke, "I was sent to find a cure for the poison that has crippled our centurion: Arcadia."

"Arcadia is poisoned?" Percy asked. He didn't seem like he trusted the Sixth Legion. Annabeth didn't know what to think of them. She was trying to figure out if she trusted Reyna or Boudica more.

"Yes," Sparta answered. "Boudica attacked her with a poisoned dagger. It had been draining her strength, and without Arcadia, we do not have a goddess to readily defeat Thoon."

"Sparta, can we give you another assignment?" Annabeth questioned. Sparta slowly looked at her and gave her a small nod. "Good. We only have one shot at this, and if it goes wrong, there is a good chance that Metis will win."

"What are we doing?" Percy interrupted. He walked towards Annabeth. "I have a feeling about what you want to do, and I don't like it."

"It has to be done," Annabeth said. She looked around the room. A shaky breath left her. "There are three things we must do. First, we gather up all those who have a black ribbon. Second, we get everyone ready to march to Camp Half-Blood. Third, we take down Boudica."


	51. That We May Live in Peace

Annabeth mentally reviewed the plan again. After that, she glanced around the room. Everyone was getting ready for their part. It was a bold plan that Annabeth had put together in five minutes, and that worried her. She was extremely confident in her planning skills, but this could backfire at any moment.

Annabeth took one final look around the room. Frank and Hazel had already left to gather up those who had a black ribbon. They were pretending to be holding a meeting to give information about how the cohorts could fight effectively against the barbarians. Their only job was to keep those with black ribbons distracted.

Jason had been sent to find Thalia and convince her that they needed to work with Reyna. There was no telling how that conversation would go. Thalia hated Reyna's guts. When the Hunters had been killed by Reyna, it created a sea of hatred between the two demigods that would probably never be crossed.

Percy glanced at Annabeth. He was wearing a full set of armor. If anything went wrong, Percy's only job was to get Sally to the Sixth Legion. Sally needed to be with the other champions, so she could help take out Thoon. Annabeth just wished they had more time to train her.

Piper was writing on her arm in sharpie. Her job was to gather up the leaders of the cabins and centurions. She would tell them to get everyone ready to go. Then, Piper would have to convince Adonia to come with them. It was going to be complicated.

It took Annabeth a moment to look at Sparta. The Roman was squeezing her injured hand and allowing the blood to trickle onto her face. They needed to make it look like Sparta had been beaten for information.

"Are we ready?" Sparta questioned. After a moment of debating, she grabbed the dagger that had been set on the table. She stabbed herself in the thigh and hissed in pain. Annabeth stared at her. Sparta looked up. "What? Boudica will find it more convincing."

"Yeah," Annabeth decided after a moment. She grabbed the rope that they had found in a supply closet. Sparta held her arms out in front of her. Annabeth tightly tied her wrists together. "Can you grab the dagger from your thigh?"

"If you want me to stab Boudica with it, I can do that," Sparta said. She looked around and gave Annabeth a slight nod. Annabeth grabbed the rope and dragged her out of the room. The rest of their walk was in silence.

Annabeth had to ask a few Romans where Boudica was, but they finally found her in a room. The room only had a bed, drawer, and a glass table. It was a modest room. Boudica was using a marker to draw battle plans on the glass table.

"I learned some interesting information," Annabeth said. She closed the door and took deep breaths. Her sword was resting across her back. A dagger was attached to her belt. The knife in Sparta's thigh could also be used.

"What is it?" Boudica questioned. She looked at them. Her eyes slowly moved to Sparta. A smirk came across Boudica's face. "I see we roughed up the Roman. What goodies did she tell you?"

"We know Reyna's location," Annabeth answered. She shoved Sparta to her knees in front of Boudica. "I thought it would be a good idea to take her out. Then, we can fully focus on taking out Metis."

"I like your thinking," Boudica commented. "You're cutthroat and willing to do what you must. You are different than other daughters of Athena. They all have brains, but they are not as cutthroat as you."

"What do you mean cutthroat?" Annabeth questioned. Boudica just smiled and watched her. A cold feeling settled in Annabeth's gut.

"Why don't you ask yourself that," Boudica said. Sparta pulled the dagger out of her thigh and lunged upwards. Boudica caught Sparta's arm, and she threw the Roman over her shoulder.

Sparta slammed into the glass table and crashed through it. There was a sickening thud as she hit the ground. Sparta tried to cry out in pain, but Boudica shoved a sword into her mouth. Boudica spoke, "Annabeth, I have a simple job for you. If you disobey me, I cut out the Roman's tongue, and I don't know how much more damage it will do."

"How did you know?" Annabeth asked. She hated that their plan had been completely destroyed. The consequences could be deadly. "We planned everything quickly."

"You took your Iris message in a hallway," Boudica replied. "I am not an idiot, daughter of Athena. I heard everything. Then, I approached you, and you had the gall to think that your conversation was private."

"So, you are a barbarian?" Annabeth questioned. "You killed the senators and blamed it on Reyna. You divided our army and made it easier to conquer."

"Is there a point to your rambling?" Boudica questioned. "I played you Greeks and Roman, and you all fell for it. It's okay though. I'll put you out of your misery, after my next plan comes into place. You aren't divided enough."

"Are you going to make it seem like one of the Amazons from Greece killed me?" Annabeth asked. "It's smart, and it will divide us even more. How are you going to do it?"

"That doesn't concern you," Boudica replied. She dug her heel into Sparta's side. Sparta's mouth had blood trickling from it. Annabeth glared and unsheathed her sword. "Drop it."

Annabeth reluctantly threw her sword on the ground. It landed near Boudica's feet. Boudica smirked. Annabeth stayed silent. She watched Sparta's right hand slowly try to grab the sword.

Boudica twisted the sword a moment later. Sparta grabbed at the sword and cried out in pain. Boudica spoke, "I am not an idiot, Roman. If you try that again, you lose your entire tongue. In fact, I may just cut out your tongue and keep you as my slave."

Annabeth's mind was racing. She couldn't think of anything though. Boudica had them completely trapped. Sparta suddenly rolled to the side, and the sword tore through her mouth. Sparta slammed into Boudica and knocked her to the ground.

Annabeth pinned Boudica a moment later. She grabbed her sword and placed it to Boudica's neck. After that, Annabeth turned to look at Sparta. She quickly looked away a moment later. Blood was trickling from in between Sparta's fingers.

"Do it," Boudica challenged. "I want you to draw that blade across my neck, but you can't, can you? You Greek demigods are weak."

"No," Annabeth said. She felt someone grab her arm. Annabeth turned her head. Sparta met her eyes. Then, her eyes moved to the rope on her wrist. Both of Sparta's hands were still pressed to her face.

Annabeth grabbed the dagger with her free hand and cut the rope. Sparta lowered one hand from her mouth and held it out. After a moment, Annabeth handed the dagger to Sparta. She quickly stood and turned away.

The only thing she heard was Boudica cry out in pain. It was followed by choking sounds. Silence slowly blanketed the room. Annabeth didn't turn back around, even after she heard the dagger fall to the ground.

"How do you feel?" Annabeth questioned. She turned and kept her eyes staring ahead. Sparta slowly stood and pressed both hands back to her face. It was clear how much pain she was in. "You need help. Follow me."

Annabeth gently grabbed Sparta's shoulder and led her out of the room. She increased her speed and stopped outside of a room that held the children of Apollo. Annabeth didn't knock. She just opened the door and walked right in.

The first person she saw was Will. Annabeth quickly led Sparta towards him and spoke, "Can you help her?"

"What happened?" Will asked. After a moment, Sparta lowered her hands. Annabeth quickly looked away. It sickened her to look. Will even looked pale. "I see. I'll take care of her. Are we really going to Camp Half-Blood?"

"Yes," Annabeth replied. She kept her eyes averted. "We'll be doing it soon. The children of Apollo will stay on the sidelines and deal with the injured, unless our situation turns desperate."

"Understood," Will said He sat Sparta down and grabbed a first aid kit. It took Annabeth a few moments to look at Sparta. The Roman had both hands back to her face. Will glanced at Annabeth. "I'll take good care of her."

"I know," Annabeth said. She took a shaky breath and looked at Sparta. "I'll let Reyna know what happened."

Sparta nodded silently. Her eyes were focused on the ground. She slowly lowered her hands. There was a horrible gash on the side of her face from where the sword had torn through it. Will knelt by her and wiped some of the blood off her face. Annabeth turned away and walked out of the room. She didn't want to be there to watch.

Injuries to the face freaked Annabeth out. She could only think about how easy it was to lose an eye or something else important. As Annabeth thought about it, she shivered. It just freaked her out.

Annabeth hurried down the hall. Her mind was completely racing on what to do. There was so many things that she needed to check on, but they didn't have much time. Someone suddenly grabbed her arm and spoke, "Annabeth Chase, we must speak."

It took Annabeth a moment to turn around. She stared at the goddess in front of her. Part of her thought that she was going to be struck down then and there. Bellona watched her silently. Annabeth swallowed painfully.

"We do not have much time. I am disobeying Jupiter's decree by being here, but I must, for my daughter," Bellona said. "Things have been shielded from us by a great use of magic. Minors gods and goddesses have been crowding Olympians with fears, complaints, and anger. Jupiter does not want the Olympains to help, and the other immortals have been too overwhelmed by everything else.

"Jupiter doesn't want other immortals to help Reyna. She's angered him too much," Annabeth assumed. "Will we get in trouble for helping?"

"Sometimes, Jupiter is too grateful to the wrong people," Bellona replied. Silence settled over the two. "My daughter has been pushing herself beyond her limits, ever since she was attacked by the rogue Amazons. During the war with Caelus, I gave her more strength than I have given all of my children combined. Do you know why?"

"Reyna is your daughter," Annabeth answered. "You would do anything for her."

"No," Bellona said. "Reyna is one of the three keys to a puzzle that is saving this world from destruction. Her very lifeline is connected to Camp Jupiter. Without Reyna, this world crumbles. No one gives her credit for the good that she has done. All they do is see the bad and turn on her."

"Your daughter has lost her mind," Annabeth countered. She crossed her arms and watched Bellona. "She has done terrible things."

"How would you have reacted?" Bellona asked. "I want you to put yourself in my daughter's shoes. There has been constant stress in her life to save the entire world and command an army. Every casualty only made it harder for her to look herself in the mirror."

"Constant injuries has hindered her performance. She cannot perform at one hundred percent, and it only stresses her out more. The one place she considered home was taken from her," Bellona continued. "You do not understand what Reyna has gone through."

Annabeth remained silent. She didn't need a lecture. Her only focus was on getting everyone ready to march out to Camp Half-Blood. Annabeth finally spoke, "I understand. Is there anything else that you need?"

"You should prepare your army to march," Bellona said. "Artemis and I will be joining you. Our only job is to take down Thoon. If Metis or any of her friends appear, we will deal with them as well."

"You said that you were breaking Zeus' decree by being here. He won't appreciate you and Artemis helping us," Annabeth assumed. Bellona nodded. "Why are you two helping us then?"

"We must save the world," Bellona answered. "Artemis does not want to leave her lieutant alone, and she likes most of the campers at Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. Her father will not punish her."

"He might punish you," Annabeth realized. She looked down. "Thank you."

"It's my duty," Bellona said. She looked at Annabeth. "Romans always fulfill thier duty, no matter what. Let us go. We must reconnect with my daughter, and we have an assault to plan."


	52. Aurea Mediocritas

Annabeth took a deep breath and looked around the clearing they were sitting at. The Sixth Legion's camp was only about a hundred feet away, but that was already too close for Artemis. The goddess refused to move another inch, and she was having her Hunters set up their own camp. Bellona was trying to talk to Artemis, but it seemed like no progress was being made.

It took Annabeth a few moments to look away from the goddesses. She looked around at the armies, and a small smile came to her face. The Hunters were preoccupied with building the camp. Surprisingly, the Amazons from Greece were helping them.

Everyone from Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter was mixed together. The demigods weren't separated by their Greek or Roman parentage. They were mingled together. There seemed to be no divide. Considering they didn't have many demigods to work with, that was a good thing.

There was one person standing off to the side, and that was Sparta. A bandage was covering the fresh stitches on Sparta's face. The Roman had completely refused any type of healing, and since she wasn't able to open her mouth, no explanation was given.

"Annabeth, can you escort Sparta back to the Sixth Legion camp and inform them that we are here?" Bellona asked. Annabeth quickly turned towards the Roman goddess of war. She nodded even quicker. Annabeth didn't want to anger Bellona anymore than she already had. The last thing she needed was some kind of curse put on her.

"Sparta, let's go," Annabeth said. It took Sparta a few moments to walk towards her. Annabeth turned and started walking into the forest. It didn't take long for her to see movement in the trees. A demititan seemed to be watching them from a treetop. After a moment, they melted back into the shadows.

Annabeth just continued to walk. As they reached the entrance of the camp, she saw someone waiting for them. They were wearing a full set of armor. Their helmet had a red plume, which Annabeth assumed had some kind of importance.

"Annabeth Chase, it is a pleasure," a woman said. She took her helmet off. Despite the fact that she had probably been wearing her helmet for the past few hours, her hair was completely perfect. From her black hair, brown eyes, and near perfect features, Annabeth assumed the woman was a child of Venus. "My name is Aquitaine. It will be a pleasure to show you around the camp."

"It's nice to meet you," Annabeth said. Aquitaine smiled brightly. Her eyes moved over to examine Sparta, but no emotion came to her face. Annabeth found it interesting. She doubted that Aquitaine didn't care for Sparta, so she got the feeling that she was dealing with someone who knew how to control themselves.

"The imperator is not back yet, but my fellow centurion and I can discuss a few things," Aquitaine said. She led them inside the camp. Annabeth slowly looked around. Everyone was standing around, but they were all doing something. Some sharpened swords. Others polished their armor.

"We should stop by the infirmary first," Annabeth suggested. "I think your doctor will want to look at Sparta, and it would be good to see what supplies you have."

"Of course," Aquitaine said. She gave Annabeth a bright smile and led them towards the infirmary. Upon stepping inside, Annabeth was met with a cold glare. Arcadia watched her.

Annabeth quickly looked around the infirmary. She saw Leo laying in a bed. There was bandages covering his hands and legs. He was covered in dirt, mud, and blood, but it didn't seem like he was seriously injured. Annabeth took it as a good sign that Leo was drooling a bit in his sleep.

"What happened to Sparta?" Arcadia demanded. Annabeth's attention turned from Leo to the goddess. Arcadia tried to stand, but another woman simply pushed her down. "Get your hands off of me, Avaris."

Avaris rubbed her forehead. She spoke, "Annabeth Chase, I'm sorry for Arcadia. I'm sure you met her before. Your friend, Leo, was brought back by that son of Pluto. I healed him as much as I could, and he should be able to walk, if he isn't too exhausted from what he endured. Now, what did happen to Sparta?"

"Sparta saved my life and was injured in the process," Annabeth answered. "We had a child of Apollo look over her, but she refused any healing. There are stitches in her face, and she won't be able to talk."

Avaris grabbed Sparta and sat her down. She gently removed the bandage and checked over the wound. Avaris spoke, "You should be able to fight, but you shouldn't speak for a few days. It will scar, so do you want to be healed?"

Annabeth looked away from the wound. It started at Sparta's mouth, went across the right side of her face, and ended at the bottom of her ear. Out of the corner of her eye, Annabeth saw Sparta shake her head. Avaris sighed and muttered something about children of Mars and scars.

"Avaris, I was wondering what supplies you had," Annabeth said. Avaris looked at her and walked towards a clipboard. She grabbed it and held it out. Annabeth took the clipboard and looked it over. The Sixth Legion was well stocked on everything, and it seemed like they were ready for war.

"How did you get here so quickly?" Arcadia asked. She suddenly turned away and had a coughing fit. After a moment, she spat out ichor and something that looked green. Annabeth stared as she recognized the color.

"Bellona and Artemis brought us," Annabeth answered. She walked towards the goddess. Arcadia glared at her and looked away. She laid her head back and took a pained breath. "What happened to you?"

"Arcadia was poisoned by Boudica, and we do not know what the poison is. I have thought of everything that I know, but it is nothing that I have seen before," Avaris explained. She sounded exhausted.

"It's Greek fire," Annabeth said. The tent fell silent. Avaris turned and stared at Annabeth. Arcadia seemed shocked as well. "That's what it looks like, before it is burned."

Avaris seemed to think about it. She finally nodded and walked towards a duffel bag. It took her a few moments to open it and look inside. Avaris grabbed five bottles and stood. She spoke, "I need you three to leave the tent."

Annabeth nodded without comment. She turned around to leave. The tent flap opened, and Reyna stepped inside. Annabeth stared for a moment, and Reyna met her eyes. A tense silence filled the tent.

Before anyone could say a word, the tent flap opened again. Sarah walked into tent carrying someone over her shoulders. Avaris directed Sarah to a bed, and the demititan laid the person on it.

Annabeth walked towards the person and examined them. Through mud, dirt, and bruises, Annabeth saw the once beautiful face of a girl from Camp Jupiter. It was clear she had been through a ton of punishment.

"She was at the temple of the Fates. I thought she was dead," Reyna whispered. The daughter of Bellona looked down. "We gave everyone else the best funeral that we could."

"Too many," Sarah commented. The demititan looked at Annabeth. It seemed like she wanted to say something. Instead, Sarah sighed and walked out of the tent. She almost looked like she had given up.

"We should go to the meeting," Reyna said. Annabeth looked at the daughter of Bellona. The two studied each other uneasily. Over the past month, Annabeth had gone through a roller coaster of emotions with Reyna. At the moment, she didn't know how to feel.

"Imperator, you should let me see your back," Avaris said. Reyna slowly looked at Avaris and shook her head. "Imperator, the bandage must be changed."

"Fine," Reyna muttered. She slowly walked towards an unoccupied bed and sat down. Pain showed on her face. "What happened to Sparta?"

"Boudica," Sparta answered. She barely moved her lips, and it was clear that she was in pain. "Annabeth saved my life."

"Thank you," Reyna said to Annabeth. The two studied each her for a moment. Reyna finally looked away. "Aquitaine, can you get Bristol and everyone else we need for the meeting?"

"Of course, imperator," Aquitaine answered. She bowed and walked out of the tent. If there was something Annabeth didn't like, it was the fact that people were bowing to Reyna. They were dedicated to her, and that was extremely dangerous.

"You two leave," Avaris said. She looked at Annabeth and Sparta. "The imperator and Arcadia will join you soon. I have patients to attend to. Go."

Annabeth stepped out of the tent. It took a few moments for Sparta to follow. The first person Annabeth saw was Hylla. The queen of the Amazons did not seem too pleased to see her. Thankfully, Kinzie was rubbing Hylla's shoulder and talking to her.

After a few moments, Hylla walked towards Annabeth. The expression on her face wasn't hard to read. It was pure anger. Annabeth opened her mouth to speak, but Hylla grabbed her by her jacket and pulled her close. The queen of the Amazons spoke, "Where is Boudica?"

"Dead," Annabeth answered. Hylla released the grip on her jacket and shoved her back. She crossed her arms. As Kinzie walked over to them, Hylla seemed to relax slightly. "I'm sorry about what Boudica did."

"Did you know what she was going to do?" Hylla demanded. Kinzie leaned on Hylla and watched Annabeth. There was something extremely dangerous in Kinzie's eyes, and for the first time, Annabeth stared to realize how much of a threat the Amazon could be.

"I knew that Boudica was going to punish Reyna. I didn't know what she was specifically going to do," Annabeth answered. Hylla closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"You let this happen to my little sister," Hylla said. She took another deep breath. "I am done, Annabeth. I am done working with Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. After this is over, our relationship will go back to how it was before we were trying to stop Gaea from rising."

"Hylla, we just need to talk this over," Annabeth said. It would be bad if the Amazons just cut off communications with Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. They needed all the allies they could get.

"There is nothing to talk over," Hylla snapped. "You knew that Reyna was going to be punished, and you did nothing to stop it! Reyna and you were friends. You stabbed her in the back by not defending her."

Annabeth bit her tongue. She would just allow Hylla to rant and calm down. Words would make the situation worse. Kinzie only rubbed Hylla's shoulder and remained silent. They all heard footsteps. Annabeth turned to see Bellona.

"Mother," Hylla said. Bellona placed a hand on Hylla's shoulder and spoke to her in Latin. It seemed to calm Hylla down, and she took a deep breath. "We'll see you two at the meeting."

The two Amazons walked away without another word. Annabeth rubbed her forehead. She looked up at Bellona. The goddess of war simply looked around the camp.

"Should I head to the meeting?" Annabeth asked. Bellona didn't respond. The goddess seemed to be staring out in the distance. Annabeth waited for a response. She finally received a small nod. "I am sorry about what happened to Reyna. No one deserves to have that happen to them."

"Then, why did it happen to my daughter?" Bellona questioned. Before Annabeth could respond, Bellona turned and walked to the infirmary. Annabeth sighed and closed her eyes. She needed to try and keep everyone in balance. That was the only way they could win.


	53. Impossibilium Nulla Obligatio Est

As her eyes drifted open, Reyna realized she had fallen asleep. It took her a few moments to slowly rub her eyes. Reyna had no clue how long she had been asleep, but her greatest fear was that she had missed the meeting. As she tried to stand, someone gently helped her to her feet.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Arcadia asked. Her voice sounded much stronger than before. Reyna looked at the goddess. Arcadia looked pale, but there seemed to be a new strength to her. "You missed me vomiting the poison, last ten meals, ichor, and my guts out."

"There wasn't a cure for the poison, so we had to drain it out somehow. My solution was the fastest," Avaris explained. She was kneeling by Leila. Reyna closed her eyes. She thought Leila had been killed at the temple of the Fates, but she had a horrible feeling that Leila had been kept alive to tell her captors information about Camp Jupiter.

"How long was I asleep?" Reyna asked. She slowly grabbed her jacket. There was a thin later of snow on the ground, but there was suppose to be more. Arcadia gently grabbed her arm and motioned to armor that was laying on the bed.

"You were sleeping for twenty minutes," Arcadia answered. "I spent the first ten minutes expelling the poison. The next three were spent gathering your weapons and armor. After that, I spent five minutes dipping your armor into the River Phlegethon. It will make your armor better. Trust me."

Reyna nodded slightly. With Arcadia's help, she was able to put on her armor. Reyna picked up the helmet and examined it. The helmet was the same as the rest of the Sixth Legion, but the plume was purple. She put the helmet on and took a deep breath.

Reyna grabbed her sword and sheathed it. She grabbed her rod and placed it on her belt. The brass knuckles had a place to hang near her sword sheathe. Reyna looked at Arcadia. The goddess was already dressed in armor.

"You look better," Reyna commented. She looked down and tried to clench her right fist. Her fist wouldn't clench entirely. Reyna closed her eyes and remembered when Atropos had posed as a soothsayer and cut into her wrist. She sighed tiredly and forced herself to focus on the present.

"I could take on anyone," Arcadia answered. She held something out to Reyna. It took Reyna a moment to grab it and examine it. "Since you are our imperator, it is time you get a faceplate. It is something that all members of the Sixth Legion have."

Reyna examined the faceplate. It was the same black as her armor and had the red tint. Reyna smiled slightly and spoke, "Thank you, Arcadia. I appreciate this. And, thank you for dipping my armor in the River Phlegethon."

"It will make your armor more resistant," Arcadia explained. She led Reyna out of the tent. "Adamantime is powerful, but when it is dipped one of the five rivers, it becomes even better. Now, we have a meeting to attend to. You made Bristol and Aquitaine centurions. Am I on the same level of authority as them?"

"No," Reyna answered. It didn't hurt to walk. In fact, her entire back felt numb. She hoped that the numb feeling was from pain medication. "You have more authority than them. I thought it would be a good idea, in case something happens to you."

"It was smart," Arcadia admitted. "The two of them deserve it. Aquitaine is our negotiator. She is a child of Venus, but her mind is her greatest asset. Even though she doesn't have charmspeak, Aquitaine can convince anyone not to fight us, including monsters."

Reyna nodded. She looked around the camp and stopped at the first Roman she saw. As soon as she stopped walking, the Roman quickly bowed. Reyna spoke, "Make sure everyone is ready to go at a moment's notice. After the meeting, I want to speak to everyone."

"Of course, imperator," the Roman answered. They bowed again. Reyna turned and walked away. She was going to need to learn everyone's name. The two walked out of the Sixth Legion camp and through the forest.

Arcadia stayed a few inches behind her. As they stepped into another camp, Greeks and Romans looked at them. Reyna just led Arcadia to a tent. Upon stepping inside, she found the tent was bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside.

As everyone in the tent fell silent, Reyna looked around. The first person she saw was Artemis. A glare was all she received. Thalia was standing on Artemis' right. Bellona was on the left.

"It's nice to see the faith my fellow immortals have in my health," Arcadia commented. She followed Reyna towards the table. Reyna looked down at the map of Camp Half-Blood. It was drawn in pencil and was definitely Annabeth's work.

Annabeth was standing by Thalia. Percy was next to his girlfriend and studying the table. Frank stood near them writing on a piece of paper. They were all glancing at her but trying to look casual about it. Clarisse was standing to the side with Sally.

"From what we understood, you were terribly poisoned," Bellona said. She glanced at Hylla, but it looked like Hylla wasn't paying attention to her. Reyna smiled at her sister and walked towards the table. She took a place next to Sarah.

Adonia seemed to be the only one that didn't care Reyna was there. The Greek Amazon was studying the map with a hand on her chin. Wynris was standing by himself with crossed arms.

"Yet, I'm standing here completely fine," Arcadia said. She smiled coldly. "We should get this meeting back on track. Where were we?"

"Camp Half-Blood has four entrances. The first is another Labyrinth entrance, and according to Sarah, it leads to the basement of the Big House," Bellona said. "The second is the beach. The third is the skies, but the fourth presents our biggest problem: the hill."

Bellona looked at Sarah and made a motion for her to speak. The demititan shifted awkwardly but spoke, "The Labyrinth entrance has a few problems. First, we need to navigate the Labyrinth and get troops through safely. It's also a narrow entrance, so if anyone is waiting for us, we would be slaughtered."

"Does Metis know of the entrance?" Annabeth questioned. No one offered her an answer. "With her wisdom, I would think she would already know about it, or she would have found it already. That erases one option."

"We could storm the beach," Percy suggested. "Some demititans are children of Oceanus. If they help, we can enter the camp that way. We would need more than one entrance though, or it could get dangerous."

"The skies will be more dangerous than the ground," Adonia said. "Every Arimaspi is bonded to a Griffiin, and they are experts in flying them. At the moment, the Arimaspi control the skies, and they can use arrows to rain havoc down on us, but my Amazons have Gryphons. We will take the fight to them."

"That leaves the hill," Thalia commented. "It's a suicide mission to attack it. We're trying to take higher ground, and that isn't going to work, unless Reyna is willing to kill more demigods for no reason."

"Thalia, you and Artemis are pissed at me for killing those two Hunters," Reyna said. She leaned on the table. "Do I regret killing those two Hunters? Yes. If I could go back and change it, would I? No. I killed those two Hunters to protect my sister, and I would do anything in the world to protect her."

"What do you mean protect me?" Hylla interrupted. She stared and seemed to be trying to think. Reyna debated on answering. Before she could decide, Artemis slammed her fist into the table.

"I am tired of you escaping consequences," Artemis snapped. "You are the reaper, and that is the reason we have not cast you into Tartarus. You killed two of my Hunters, and you should pay, especially when you only did it to protect one person."

"Are you really going to tell me you wouldn't do the same?" Reyna asked. "I know for a fact that you would do anything to protect your Hunters. If you had to kill two demigods to protect one of your Hunters, you would do it without blinking an eye. If you want to deny that, you should have no problem looking me in the eye and telling me that, after you swore on the River Styx that you are telling the truth."

Artemis remained silent and glared. Reyna just met her eyes and tried to calm herself. She slowly looked down at the map. Annabeth spoke, "We could use the guns that those mortals had at Fort Sumter. The bullets were celestial bronze. They could be useful for taking the hill."

"My Hunters have never used a gun," Artemis commented. "Can anyone at Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter use those guns. There is only one magazine per gun, so we would need marksman to get the most out of every bullet."

"Camp Jupiter doesn't use guns," Frank answered. He glanced at Annabeth, who shook her head. "Camp Half-Blood doesn't have anyone either. I'm guessing the demititans don't as well."

"I guess it's a good thing that the Sixth Legion has marksman. Some of them have served in the army of their respect native country," Arcadia interrupted. "We can spare our best marksman to help clear the hill. Part of our army can march behind them. We'll easily take the hill."

"The Sixth Legion is not getting their hands on those guns," Artemis said. She crossed her arms. "The reaper has already proven to be a loose cannon. I don't want to imagine what would happen, if we gave her army guns."

"I imagine that we would take the hill," Reyna said angrily. She gripped the table. "If you don't want to trust me, I don't really care. The permission of the Olympians is not something that I care about anymore. Ever since I was accused on stealing Ares' shield, it seems like the Olympians have been against me every step of the way."

"I have made mistakes," Reyna continued. "I know that, and I've been doing anything that I can to make up for it. The Olympians are not going to give me any forgiveness though. Most of the demigods in this army won't either, but they all have forgotten a few, important facts."

Reyna took a deep breath and spoke, "I have taken so much punishment and abuse within a short amount of time, but I haven't let that stop me. I've fought through multiple broken bones, a disabled hand, the voices, the stress, the betrayals, being a vessel for Kronos, being exiled, being hated by everyone, and even dying! What more could you want from me?"

The tent was silent for a long time. Reyna closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. She spoke, "I just want to end this war. If you give us the guns, the Romans that use them will be under Thalia's command. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes," Artemis answered stiffly. "We will have to discuss where our troops will be in our formation. I'm sure Arcadia will know more about them than you."

Reyna nodded and looked at the table. She listened silently as the three goddesses coordinated the troops movements. It was mostly Bellona coming up with suggestions, since she was a goddess of war. Reyna closed her eyes and thought about her outburst.

"Do the Huns still want to do their suicide charge?" Bellona questioned. Reyna slowly opened her eyes and looked up. Wyrnis nodded once. He didn't speak. All he did was look determined. "Good. You will be the first off the hill then."

"What about us?" Clarisse asked. She motioned to herself and Sally. "We still have to take our Atticus and Macsen. There is also Thoon that we have to deal with. How would we even destroy him?"

"The three champions and an immortal must work together. One of the Fates could help, but we would rather the three of them be safe," Artemis answered. "Things are made easier with Arcadia back on her feet. We can divide our attention between Thoon, Metis, and any immortal that is working with the traitor."

"I will handle Thoon," Arcadia said. "If any of you disable Metis, all I ask is that you save her for me. She has a debt that needs to be repaid."

"We can do that," Bellona promised. She looked at Arcadia. "You will be responsible for getting the champions to Thoon. Can you do that, or would you like one of us to help?"

"If you don't think I can handle it, one of you two can help," Arcadia answered. "I can handle it though. The champions will get to Thoon, and he will be sent back to Tartarus."

Bellona nodded and looked around. She spoke, "This is a very important battle. We must win. If we don't, it will be the end of the world. I have seen all of you in action, so I know you all can do this. We leave in five hours."

"What about the dragon?" Reyna asked. "Atropos told me that one was suppose to attack the demititan base, but it never did. Where is it?"

"A dragon is a serious monster for Metis to be playing with. It is likely that the dragon was going to attack, but Metis decided it would serve better as a last line of defense," Bellona answered. "Dragons are very intelligent creatures, so it is likely that Metis bribed it using a large amount of metals and other treasure."

"What is the difference between a drakon and a dragon?" Clarisse interrupted. "I already took on a drakon by myself. I don't see how a dragon can be any scarier."

"For one, a dragon can fly," Arcadia said. She leaned on the table. "They can breath fire, ice, and sometimes lightning. It all depends on their place of origin. They are extremely agile creatures that have impenetrable scales. The only weak spots is the throat or soft underbelly. It would be best to try and talk the creature down."

"You're crazy," Clarisse commented. She crossed her arms. "It is a dragon, which is a monster. They can't be talked down. All monsters should be put down."

Arcadia shook her head. She spoke, "You know nothing of dragons. They are refined creatures, and they should be protected. Only a few are left in the world."

"Then, it won't be hard to make them extinct," Clarisse commented. Arcadia looked down and gripped her sword. "They're monsters. Why do you even care about them?"

"Since my time with the legion, I have had to kill five dragons," Arcadia answered. "We were able to talk down three others. Dragons are a sign of the old world, and they have done nothing to be hunted. We must talk this dragon down."

"Arcadia's sacred animal is a dragon," Bellona explained. "She is the expert on dragons, and if we do see the dragon, everything we do goes through her. Now, this meeting is dismissed. Everyone get ready. Soon, we will take Camp Half-Blood."


	54. Humbler of Mortals

Reyna was familiar with the headaches. They usually hit whenever she was stressed or about to see things that weren't true. She guessed it was due to the Schizophrenia, so the only thing she could do was grit her teeth and remember to take her pills.

At the moment, Reyna was following Arcadia towards the Sixth Legion. She wanted to give a speech, but she didn't know the words yet. Hopefully, something would come to her as she stood in front of the legion. Another thing she wanted to do was talk to Arcadia, alone. There was a few things they needed to clear up.

As the headache became worse, Reyna was forced to stop walking and close her eyes. She waited a few moments and opened her eyes. As soon as her eyes were open, she knew something was very wrong. Reyna quickly looked around and stared at the camp.

Arcadia was standing on her left. Her head was turned towards Reyna, and her mouth was open to ask a question. She was frozen in place though. Reyna quickly looked around the camp. Everyone was frozen, except for her.

"A moment of time to explain what all of time could not," a voice said. Reyna quickly turned around and stared at the figure in front of her. They were wrapped in dirty, torn linen bandages. It reminded Reyna of a mummy. There was holes in the linen bandages, and beneath it, there seemed to be nothing.

A dirty, gold pocket watch hung from their hand. The watch hands circled impossibly fast, and the device radiated power. Reyna took a step back and slowly grabbed her sword. Was this another attack by Metis? Could the Titaness really stop time, and if she could, how were they suppose to fight her?

"Who are you?" Reyna slowly asked. She tried to unsheathe her sword, but her arm became numb. Reyna looked down and found that her hand was wrapped around her sword, but she couldn't force it to move.

"My name is but a word in the annals of history," the figure replied. They held up the pocket watch. Reyna could see that the second's hand had stopped moving. "My name is not important, and they would not want you to hear it anyway."

"They?" Reyna asked. The second's hand started moving again, and she was able to move her arm. Reyna quickly rubbed it and took a step back. "What are you talking about? What is that thing?"

"When I was dying, they cut my tongue from my mouth and stitched my lips," the figure said. "They feared the power of my words. It was like nothing they had heard before. My words foretold of death and destruction. It humbled mortals and immortals alike. As for this device, it is a relic of an old time."

"It belongs to the Titan of time. His powers have transcended this device, so he left it behind. I found it in the depths, and I have spent much time to repair it," the figure explained. It was hard to identify their voice, but it sounded ancient. Their accent was something ancient as well.

"I have seen many thing," the figure said looking right at Reyna. Instead of eyes, there was two, dark holes. "I saw a great city burning, while a fool played his fiddle. I saw the same city burning again, as a pretender sat on the throne and was given to the wolves like a lamb."

"Then, I saw a Black Death sweeping across a proud world. It humbled the mighty and decimated the weak. Men were subjugated to horrors that they have never faced before. Those that remained were twisted. I saw the world resurrect itself from this death," the figure continued. "There was a great war. Proud and strong countries fought each other, and it only ended when one unleashed an unimaginable weapon of fire and death."

"These are not to be compared to the cleansing that is to come," the figure promised. Reyna blinked, and the figure was gone. She quickly turned around and took a step back. The figure took a lumbering step towards her. "There is a reckoning that will be wrought."

"What are you talking about?" Reyna asked confused. She closed her eyes as the headache only got worse. She wanted to scream in pain and frustration. Instead, a cold hand grabbed her face and forced her to open her eyes. It felt like ice was being pressed against her face.

"I sat in darkness. I sat in nothing. Then, I saw you. You were the key," the figure whispered. "There was always a question. Who would begin this cleansing? Who would unlock the warriors? My answer came when I saw you."

"What are you talking about?" Reyna demanded. She pulled away. "Make sense! You keep speaking in nonsense. What is going to happen?"

"They've been breed to kill the leaders. They've been bred to topple the world. A shadow of their former selves. Their brains are intact, but their souls have been lost. No. They have been tainted. Their perception is twisted and muddled," the figure whispered.

"Their targets have been the same. The names change. The position doesn't. They will strike swiftly, as one. If they succeed, the end will begin. If they fail, it will only be delayed. They seek a metamorphosis of this world. A metamorphosis of the immortals. With her, they can do it," the figure said

"Great magic seals them away. Any mortal can wield the power that they should not know of. Any mortal can free them. A half mortal will, and I found her," the figure continued. Another hand brushed over Reyna's face, and it took all of Reyna's willpower to keep from lashing out at the figure.

"I'm not using magic to bring anyone back," Reyna promised. A low, evil laugh escaped the figure. Time flickered around Reyna and then returned back to normal. Reyna looked around. It seemed like a second had passed, as Arcadia was now fully facing her, but time was frozen once again.

"No. War is not the answer. War has never been the answer. It is the catalyst, the cause, and the end. You have led me to the one. You and you alone," the figure whispered. "The one will be corrupted. That is how it will happen. The future must happen."

Reyna stared at the figure, and the headache, somehow, became worse. Was it her schizophrenia acting up? Was she just making things up in her head and completely ignoring reality. Panic gripped Reyna's chest, and she took deep breaths to calm herself.

"You can feel the end, can't you?" the figure questioned. "I foresaw it so long ago. The gods gave me power, but they corrupted it. They wanted to end me. They wanted to save the world. I couldn't allow that. It must happen."

"You're insane," Reyna said. She did her best not to shiver under the touch. It was colder than ice, and it felt ancient. Reyna feared that touching the figure would cause it to crumble underneath her touch. "What are you talking about? Why did you come here?"

"It's simple. I influenced Fate," the figure whispered. She grabbed Reyna's left hand and used it to remove the armor covering Reyna's right arm. The daughter of Bellona found herself unable to move, so all she could do was stand there and glare. "I influence Fate to give you that scar and to put a prophecy in it. I was able to trace you, even through the great abyss."

Reyna wanted to ask how this figure influenced Fate, but her mouth refused to move. Was it even possible to influence Fate? Atropos had cut into Reyna's arm, but there was no way Atropos did it under some kind of influence.

"I know where she is. That is all thanks to you," the figure said. She gripped Reyna's wrist, and the grip quickly became painfully. Reyna sighed in relief as the figure let go. "The end will begin. The war will end, and the end will begin. Thank you."

Reyna glared and stepped away. She tried to think, but the pain in her head became worse. There was a sudden sensation of spinning, and Reyna collapsed to her knees. She opened her eyes and looked around. Arcadia stared down at her.

"Imperator, what happened?" Arcadia questioned. Reyna looked up at Arcadia, unable to respond. The figure was gone, and time seemed to be back to normal. Had Reyna just imagined everything? Was everything becoming too much, and could she no longer distinguish reality from whatever her head conjured?

There was a small, burning sensation in her arm. She looked down and stared at the red hand print that was imprinted on her arm. The same sensation was on her face. Did that mean it was real, or was she imagining it? Reyna swallowed painfully and saw part of her armor on the ground. It only took her a moment to put it on.

"Imperator," Arcadia repeated. Reyna slowly looked up. The goddess gently touched her cheek and stared at what Reyna guessed was a hand print. "We were talking, and you just fell to your knees. I could have sworn that I saw someone, but that's impossible."

Reyna turned her face away, so no one else could see it. The figure had been very real. She just didn't know who or what it was. Reyna took a deep breath and spoke, "We need to talk, alone."

Arcadia helped Reyna to her feet. There was a million questions that were running through Reyna's mind, but the headache made it hard to think. Who was the figure? What did they mean the end of the world? The questions only made her head hurt more.

Arcadia practically carried Reyna towards a cluster of trees. The pain in Reyna's head was the worst that it had ever been. She collapsed against the nearest tree and groaned at the fresh pain in her back. It was impossible to move, so all she could do was lay her head against the tree.

"What happened?" Arcadia questioned. She examined Reyna's face again, so Reyna just stared ahead. "There is a fading hand print. What in Zeus' name is going on?"

It took a few moments for Reyna to recount her story. The details were already becoming fuzzy, and the headache only made it worse. Reyna took a few, deep breaths to focus her mind. The memory became clearer, and she was able to tell Arcadia most of what had happened.

"This is something I have never heard of," Arcadia said. "For now, we can't worry about it. Metis presents our biggest problem, and until we deal with her, there is nothing that we can do."

"Should we tell Metis?" Reyna suddenly asked. Arcadia raised an eyebrow. "Look, I don't plan on losing, but if we do, shouldn't Metis be warned? It sounds like this person wanted to destroy all immortals."

"Metis deserves what she gets," Arcadia answered. "I will tell this to Bellona and Athena, but no one else can know. As far as everyone else is concerned, you just passed out for a moment, either from pain or exhaustion."

Reyna nodded slightly and looked at the ground. Something about the figure scared her more than Metis, and oddly, Reyna didn't think the figure was that powerful. They had died, which meant they were once a mortal. She just needed to find out who they were, but that would have to wait till after the war.


	55. Long Into the Abyss

After the meeting, Annabeth didn't know how she was going to relax. They were about to go into a very dangerous battle, and the odds did not look good. They had the killer of Fate and one of the smartest goddesses against them. The two armies were extremely fractured. What were they suppose to do?

At the moment, the answer was to fake a smile and pretend that everything was okay. Nothing was okay. Reyna had pissed off Camp Jupiter and the Hunters of Artemis. Camp Half-Blood also hated her guts. That meant that the Amazons and Sixth Legion hated the Hunters and the two camps. The demititans stood in the middle, and the peace would not last. Annabeth knew that was a fact.

The real question was if they could get through the war with the peace intact. If they did, there was a chance that they could just go separate ways, and they would avoid anymore war. That was all she wanted. Annabeth sighed deeply and looked around. Everyone was making their final preparations for the war.

"Annabeth Chase," a woman said. Annabeth quickly turned around and stared at the goddess in front of her. The goddess' presence made her relax, and she almost felt peaceful. Considering they were in the middle of a war, it was the oddest feeling. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Who are you?" Annabeth asked. She studied the goddess silently. The goddess had blonde hair and green eyes. In in her right hand, there was a white sceptre flecked with what looked like dried blood.

"Eirene: goddess of peace," Artemis said from behind Annabeth. The daughter of Athena whirled around. "Her Roman equivalent is Pax, and she is a very good friend of mine. We have been working together forever. Whether you believe it or not, Pax and Bellona are good friends. She has something that you must see."

"What do I have to see?" Annabeth asked. She stared at the distraught look on Artemis' face. It disappeared after a moment. Annabeth looked at Eirene, who was examining her sceptre in interest.

"Through blood and steel, there will be a peace," Eirene said. "I cannot tell you of the future, and I cannot tell you who will survive, other than the Sixth Legion. It is possible that they work with you, or they sacrifice you to the wolves. I am more interested in when they break the peace."

"The peace that comes after Metis," Annabeth assumed. Eirene nodded and looked at Artemis. "May I talk to the daughter of Athena alone? If you are here, you may try to influence the outcome, and you can do more damage than one mortal."

"Show her what you must," Artemis answered. She turned and walked away. Annabeth slowly looked back at Eirene. Something told Annabeth that she didn't want to see what Eirene wanted to show her. It was going to change everything.

"Are you ready?" Eirene questioned. Annabeth wanted to answer no. Instead, she nodded. Eirene gently placed a hand to Annabeth's forehead. The goddess' touch was warm, and it made a warm feeling spread through her chest.

"Ready," Annabeth replied. She closed her eyes. When Annabeth opened her eyes, she was standing in the middle of a forest. Two figures were sitting by a fire. They seemed to be waiting for something.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" a man asked. His voice sounded odd, as if he didn't know how to properly pronounce the words. He was wearing a set of armor that came right from the armory of Camp Jupiter, and there was a large amount of medals decorating his armor. He had black hair and hazel eyes. His eyes moved towards his companion.

The woman slowly looked up. Her eyes didn't focus on him, and there was a dull color in them. Annabeth realized the woman was blind. The woman ran a hand through her graying hair and spoke, "This is the first time that the former praetor has been willing to talk to anyone about her exile. I must get the full story."

"Professor Hypatia," the man began. The professor held up a hand. A branch snapped, and she quickly looked around. That movement caused the man to jump to his feet and unsheathe his sword. Aquitaine stepped out of the clearing.

"I'm a friend," Aquitaine said holding up her hands. She gave them a charming smile. After a moment, she made motions with her hand. It took Annabeth a moment to realize that Aquitaine was using sign language. The man slowly signed back.

"She is the escort," the man said. He sheathed his sword and gently grabbed Hypatia's arm. After a moment of staring at Aquitaine, the man walked towards her. Aquitaine turned her back and led them through the forest.

Annabeth had no option but to follow the three of them. Hypatia spoke, "I don't think we ever got a name from you."

"Aquitaine. I am a centurion," Aquitaine answered. "You two do not have to disarm. You are welcomed friends in our camp."

"Mack, will you kiss the girl's hand for me?" Hypatia asked. Mack seemed to see her mouth moving out of the corner of his eye, and he gave her a look that she couldn't see. Aquitaine simply smiled and raised a single eyebrow.

"No," Mack said, and he increased his pace. Aquitaine led the two towards a clearing. Annabeth followed, with a horrible feeling. She wasn't quite sure what was going to happen, but she had a very bad feeling that the future wasn't bright for Mack and Hypatia. The two were led into the clearing and towards a tent.

Annabeth stopped walking and looked around the camp. Since everyone was wearing a full set of armor and had a face plate attached to their helmet, she couldn't identify the few members of the legion that she did know. Most of the legion was in the middle of sparring. Others were jogging around the camp with backpacks full of gear.

Someone walked right through Annabeth, which caused her to freeze and remember that she wasn't really there. Annabeth blinked a few times and looked at the person that had walked through her. She found herself staring. The person looked back at her and frowned as if something seemed off.

"Reyna," Annabeth whispered. She stared at the daughter of Bellona. Reyna was wearing her breastplate and a pair of shorts. Her sword hung from her side, and her belt held a rod and brass knuckles. There was no pain in her features, and there was a small smile on her face. The healed scar on her lip almost made the smile seem evil.

Reyna looked great. Her face was no longer pale, and it looked like she had healed from her injuries. Reyna watched Hypatia and Mack walk into a tent. Arcadia appeared by her side and spoke, "You know what you must do, even if it means no going back?"

"I understand," Reyna said. She walked towards the tent. Annabeth quickly followed the daughter of Bellona. What was Reyna going to do that would break the peace? Why would she do it?

"Professor Hypatia," Reyna said walking into the tent. Hypatia turned quickly, and her eyes darted around for the person that they could not see. Mack moved closer to Hypatia. He glared at Reyna.

"Are you Reyna? It is a pleasure to meet you," Hypatia said. She extended a hand. Reyna frowned and didn't move for a moment. The daughter of Bellona finally shook Hypatia's hand. Even though Annabeth wasn't actually there, she could feel the tension in the tent.

"It is nice to meet you," Reyna began. She glanced around the tent. Aquitaine had faded into the background, but she was still there. One hand rested on her sword, and there was a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "You wanted to interview me?"

"Yes," Hypatia answered. "You were exiled from Camp Jupiter. You are not the first praetor or first child of Bellona to be exiled, but the circumstances are interesting. You help save the world, only to have it all ruined because you committed patricide. Does it bother you that you weren't respected enough to avoid exile?"

"Respected enough?" Reyna questioned. Her eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms. "They would have exiled anyone for committing patricide."

"If Camp Jupiter respected you enough, you would have been absolved of your crimes. If you did enough for them, they would have swept it under the rug. It would have been knowledge that only the leaders knew and no one else. It would have just been another dirty secret of Rome," Hypatia said.

"Just another dirty secret," Reyna repeated. "Rome had a lot of those. Some they never told anyone, not even the gods. Of course, you know all about that, don't you?"

"Are you accusing us of something?" Mack demanded. He stepped forward. Hypatia held up her hand, and Mack stopped moving. He glared at Reyna.

"Where is she?" Reyna asked. "I know that you two know where she is. You thought that you could walk into this camp and be protected by Camp Jupiter and the Olympians. I am only going to ask you one more time, and if you don't answer, I will kill you. Where is she?"

"You wouldn't dare," Mack said. Reyna's lip twitched, and it looked like she was trying not to smile. A sword suddenly appeared through Mack's chest, and he slowly collapsed to his knees. Aquitaine grabbed her dagger and slit his throat..

Annabeth stared at the scene in front of her. She watched the light fade from Mack's eyes, and she watched him slowly slide off of the sword. Why would Reyna murder a member of Camp Jupiter? She had to know it would only cause problems and maybe even war. Reyna did know that, and it didn't look like she cared.

Who was Reyna looking for? If she was willing to kill and face the consequences, she had to be willing to throw everything away. Killing Mack would be what shattered the peace. There was only one person that Reyna would risk everything for: Hylla.

Something was going to happen to Hylla. It would cause Reyna to lose her self control, and this would be the outcome. Annabeth took a deep breath and slowly looked back at Reyna. The daughter of Bellona slowly grabbed her own sword and examined it.

"You killed him?" Hypatia asked in shock. She felt around for her fallen friend. When her leg hit him, Hypatia looked down and slowly crouched. Her hand touched blood. "Mack."

"You don't even have to act like you care," Reyna said. "We both know you don't. We both know about your little charade. So, I will ask for the final time. Where is she!"

"Go ahead," Hypatia said. She stood and raised her chin deliberately. "You will be judged based on your actions here."

"Shut the fuck up," Reyna snapped. She slammed Hypatia to the ground and placed the sword to her throat. "Where is she? Tell me now!"

"No," Hypatia said. Reyna brought her sword down and stood. She slowly wiped it off and took a deep breath staring down at the two bodies. Annabeth only stared at Reyna. What had become of her friend?

"This is only the first thing I wanted to show you," Eirene said. Annabeth turned to look at the goddess. There was a frown on her face. A sad look settled in her eyes. "It is a shame to see such a great Roman lost to the darkness."

"Why did she turn out this way?" Annabeth questioned. She looked back as the world dissolved into a flash of colors. A scene slowly former in front of her. Annabeth looked around the throne room that they were standing in.

The ground was covered in dust. Cobwebs practically covered the entire room, which had been made of stone. A golden throne sat against the furthest wall. It was completely untouched by anything and looked brand new. Nothing else was in the room.

"Romans are born with the belief that what they are doing is correct, even if it is very wrong. Your friend's mental state does nothing to help her. She may think what she is doing is the right thing, but it is the opposite. Along the way, the daughter of Bellona lost what made her a good Roman. Now, she is just another Caesar: cruel, violent, and insane," Eirene said sadly.

"The daughter of Bellona has spent her entire life fighting monsters, whether it be her father, mythological creatures, the Titans, or herself. In fighting these monsters, Reyna turned into one herself," Eirene said. She smiled sadly. "It was one of my children who said it so famously: when you gaze long into the abyss."

"The abyss gazes back," Annabeth whispered. She turned as the doors to the throne room opened. It wasn't hard to identify Reyna's armor, despite the fact that she was completely covered in blood. The blood completely drenched Reyna, and it dripped off of her as she walked further into the throne room. "Is there anything I can do to help her?"

"Once someone has been drawn into the abyss, can they be helped?" Eirene asked. Annabeth didn't know the answer to that. She slowly looked back at Reyna, and it became extremely difficult to swallow.

Annabeth didn't want to know how many people the blood belonged to. She felt Eirene gently grab her shoulder. Eirene spoke, "You must disarm her. She cannot allowed to be given the power that has driven so many other to extremes. If you can keep her power limited, I believe we can avoid or limit the future that I am showing you."

"I could tell Hylla or the Olympians," Annabeth began. Eirene looked at her, and the goddess didn't even have to say a word. Annabeth understood completely. If she tried warning anyone, they would take actions that pushed them closer to what they wanted to avoid.

Footsteps interrupted Annabeth's thoughts. She turned and looked at Reyna. The daughter of Bellona slowly looked around and walked towards the throne. Reyna slowly took her helmet off and dropped it the ground. A hand ran down her face, leaving behind a trail of blood.

"Show me," Reyna said. She looked around as if hearing something. After a moment, Reyna walked towards the throne and slowly sat down. Upon closing her eyes, the daughter of Bellona seemed to relax.

"What does she want to see?" Annabeth questioned. Despite the gold throne, the throne room didn't look like it belonged to an immortal. Why was it important then? Why would a blood soaked Reyna want to find it and ask it to show her something? There was no doubt that Reyna had gone through a lot of trouble to find it. Why?

"I don't know," Eirene replied. She waved her hand, and Annabeth found herself back at the camp. She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes. Annabeth slowly looked back at Eirene. No one seemed to pay attention to them.

"There is nothing I can do to stop Reyna. Why show me?" Annabeth asked. She crossed her arms and looked around for Reyna. The daughter of Bellona was nowhere in sight.

"I do not want the daughter of Bellona to go down her current path," Eirene replied. She placed a hand to Annabeth;s shoulder. "You are wise enough to do what is right. I must go now. If you must tell someone, you need to keep it vague."

"I understand," Annabeth said. She looked back towards the Sixth Legion. Despite whatever happened during the war with Metis, Reyna was going to kill someone from Camp Jupiter, and it was up to Annabeth to stop her. She only hoped it wouldn't lead to more bloodshed.


	56. Apocalypse Now

Considering she had been on her feet for a few hours, Reyna's back did not hurt as bad as she expected. She was trying to keep her movements to a minimum, which seemed to be helping. Will had also worked on healing her, but he had commented that it would be a long process.

Reyna sighed and took a small sip from her canteen. Her eyes moved over the camp one final time. Everyone was packing up and ready to move to Camp Half-Blood. They were going to meet Metis and her troops in battle. They would also have to deal with Thoon and his two immortals, but that was not something Reyna could worry about. The job would fall to Sally and Clarisse.

A glance around showed her sister talking to Aquitaine. The two almost seemed to be getting along. From across the camp, Kinzie was staring at Hylla. She rubbed the small box in her hand. It almost seemed like she was ready to propose. A small smile came to Reyna's face.

If there was one person who deserved happiness, it was Hylla. Soon, Kinzie and Hylla would be married and live happily ever after. Well, Reyna hoped they would. Demigods usually didn't have good luck. Reyna turned to happier thoughts and smiled at the thought of her sister wearing any kind of dress.

A huff came from her right. Reyna looked at Arcadia. The goddess had been pacing for ten minutes. There was tracks in the ground from where she had been walking. Arcadia spoke, "The five hour mark is up. Why are we not at Camp Half-Blood already? This is valuable time that we could be using to plan."

"It's not like the Greeks are going to listen to us," Bristol commented. "They don't want to listen to anything you have to say, imperator. I don't understand why you bother trying to plan."

"It relaxes me," Reyna answered. She sighed tiredly and shifted slightly. A small wave of pain rolled through her back. "When I plan battles, it causes me to forget all my problems. I can block out everything else in the world and relax."

"Greeks are just terrible at keeping time," Aquitaine commented. She appeared behind them and smiled slightly. Reyna nodded her agreement, not really hearing the words. Her eyes moved to examine everyone in the camp again.

The Sixth Legion was mostly by itself. A few Amazons and demititans were talking to them, but a good fifty feet divided the Sixth Legion from the rest of the army. Everyone was in full armor. Reyna noted the packs that every member of the Sixth Legion had. She saw their bedrolls, but she didn't know what was in the backpacks.

Reyna's thoughts were interrupted at the sound of birds taking flight. It sounded like a hundred birds were fleeing at once. She looked up and saw no birds. Instead, she saw a large shadow pass over them. Reyna stared.

"What is that?" Aquitaine asked. Bristol made a noise that sounded like he was choking on his spit. The entire camp fell into complete silence. Everyone was staring at the creature above. Reyna knew what it was, and she had been warned about it. She just couldn't believe that an actual dragon was above their camp.

"A dragon," Arcadia confirmed. It wasn't hard to hear the happiness in her voice. Reyna glanced at the goddess, but the dragon forced her attention back to it. Of course, Camp Half-Blood had their own dragon: Peleus.

This dragon was much larger than Peleus, but somehow, it wasn't as large as a drakon. It was probably twenty or thirty feet long. Spikes the size of a small child rested on its tail. Red scales trailed up the dragon's back, but it looked like someone had wrapped a large pack around it.

Reyna found herself unable to move. The dragon couldn't paralyze anyone with its eyes like a drakon, but it didn't need to. Its mere presence demanded their attention. Reyna felt a hand gently grab her shoulder. Arcadia spoke, "Imperator, we must talk this dragon down and find out why someone wrapped some kind of cloth around it."

"How are we suppose to get the dragon to land without attacking us?" Reyna questioned. For the moment, the dragon was just watching them. It seemed to be thinking about how easy it would be to just burn them all alive. Reyna looked at Arcadia, and the flapping of wings stopped.

When Reyna looked back up, her heart almost stopped. The dragon had just stopped everything and was falling to the ground. Reyna backed up and saw others trying to move away from where the dragon would crash land. When the dragon hit the ground, it exploded.

Reyna didn't really feel the force of the explosion. She didn't remember being thrown backwards, but she did remember her head slamming into a tree trunk. For a few moments, everything went dark. Reyna opened her eyes and took a pained breath. She instantly smelled smoke. An attempt to sit up only caused pain to flare up in her back.

One hand slowly pulled off her helmet. She looked back at the tree trunk that her head had slammed into. If it wasn't for her helmet, Reyna would be dealing with a lot worse than a little dizziness. Reyna pulled her helmet back onto her head, and she slowly managed to get to her knees. She stared at the wall of fire in front of her.

The fire seemed to have come from where the dragon had landed, which meant they were cut off from the rest of the army. A quick look around showed that the entire Sixth Legion was near her. Some were unconscious, and others were staggering to their feet. A few Amazons and demititans were getting to their feet as well.

Reyna saw the fire was spreading on three sides. The only thing they could do was move backwards, further away from the rest of their army. Retreating seemed to be the only option. Reyna heard a cry of pain, and she turned her head.

"Aquitaine," Reyna said. She managed to get to her feet, stumble forward a few feet, and collapse next to her centurion. Aquitaine's right leg was pinned underneath a tree. The pale look on her face told Reyna how much pain she was in.

"Imperator," Aquitaine whispered. She slowly grabbed Reyna's wrist. Her other hand slowly moved from her side. Blood trickled from where her hand had been, and it looked like a piece of a sword had been stabbed into her side. Aquitaine pressed a dagger into Reyna's hands. "End it quickly and get everyone else out of here."

"The dragon is separating us from everyone else," Bristol reported. He wheezed and knelt next to Aquitaine. Bristol gently grabbed her hand. "Fire instantly started spreading out from it. Other than a few stragglers, everyone else is with the Greeks. The fire is spreading, but it can't be normal fire. It has to be Greek fire."

"Why would there be Greek fire?" Reyna questioned. She stared at Aquitaine's dagger. Aquitaine wanted her to end it quickly. Was this something Caesar would? Did Caesar put his troops out of their misery? Reyna frowned. "And, why did the dragon explode? It should have just crashed."

"If I had to guess, the cloth we saw around the dragon was holding Greek fire," Bristol replied. He let go of Aquitaine's hand and gently brushed hair out of her face. "Imperator, the fire is spreading quickly. We must leave."

Reyna slowly looked at the two Romans. She knew Julius Caesar would have no problem slitting Aquitaine's throat. He would leave the other injured members of the Sixth Legion for dead. Caesar would then march to Camp Half-Blood and extract a very bloody vengeance, but Reyna was not Caesar.

"Aquitaine, you're not dying that easily," Reyna said. She dug her heels into the ground and started to push against the tree. Pain flared in her back, but all she could do was ignore it. Bristol stared for a moment. Then, he slammed his shoulder into the tree and started to push.

A third person joined, and the tree slowly started to move. Reyna slowly turned her head and met her sister's eyes. Hylla gave her a slight, determined nod. Reyna returned the nod and felt her tattoo starting to burn as she shared her strength. The tree suddenly flew forward.

Reyna almost fell on her face, but someone caught onto her shoulder. Arcadia steadied her and looked around. There was a gash near her temple, and the goddess looked exhausted. Reyna slowly looked around the rest of the camp. She gulped, realizing the fire was closing in.

"We're leaving," Reyna said. With Bristol's help, she was able to help Aquitaine stand. Aquitaine immediately leaned on a tree. There was no way that she could walk on her practically destroyed leg. Reyna studied her for a moment and finally looked around. "We're taking all of the injured with us. No one gets left behind."

"Understood," Bristol said. He turned and walked towards a fallen member of the Sixth Legion. Reyna slowly looked at Arcadia. The goddess blinked a few times and looked like she was trying to force herself to focus. Arcadia turned and starting yelling orders out in Latin.

"Aquitaine, I'm going to carry you," Reyna said. Aquitaine stared for a few moments, but she didn't argue. Reyna took a deep breath and felt a cool sensation on her back. The pain faded away. Something told her that the pain would be back soon.

Before she could change her mind, Reyna gently grabbed Aquitaine's arm and picked her up. She rested Aquitaine on her shoulders and started to move away from the fire. Reyna coughed from the smoke that was starting to cover the clearing. The fire was dangerously close.

Reyna made her way towards Hylla. Her sister was kneeling by Adonia. The Greek Amazon was coughing up blood. Adonia spoke, "Arimaspi were always cowards. Always. They could never face us in a fair fight. They always have to catch their enemies on the run."

"You can complain about them as we leave," Hylla said. She tried to pick Adonia up, but Adonia yelled in pain. Hylla examined her and sighed deeply. Reyna studied the two and looked away. There was a giant gash in Adonia's chest. Something had torn through her armor and most of her chest. It was clear she wouldn't last long.

"Pick me up," Adonia ordered. She yelled as Hylla picked her up as gently as she could. Adonia wheezed and looked ready to pass out. Instead, the Amazon wiped her mouth and started to whisper into Hylla's ear.

Reyna followed her sister away. They had not been as close to the fire as everyone on the other side was, but now, the fire was forcing them to move. Reyna started to walk forward and ran through her mental map of the forest. In half of a mile, they would reach another clearing.

The clearing was an open area without many tree on the outskirts: the perfect place for an ambush. Reyna's mind started racing. The dragon had not been sent to their camp by mistake. It had landed in the perfect area to divide the army.

If Metis wanted to wipe them out in one blow, Greek fire would be the way to do it. That didn't explain the explosion from the dragon. Reyna doubted that Metis would use mortal explosives, so that left the Titaness with demigod explosives.

Reyna guessed that Metis had used Imperial Gold weapons, and Camp Jupiter had an entire armory full of them. Metis had probably strapped the Imperial Gold weapons to the dragon. The impact of the landing would have broken the weapons and caused them to explode. Anyone near the explosion would have died instantly.

That left Reyna with one problem. What was Metis' backup plan? There was no way that Metis would believe that the dragon had killed everyone. She would have some sort of fail safe in place. There was no others monsters around. The army was divided, but that didn't really help Metis.

Reyna suddenly stopped walking. Adonia had called the Arimapsi cowards and claimed that they only attacked when someone was on the run. Reyna looked back at the fire. It was pushing them towards the clearing. Was the clearing also holding an ambush?

"Reyna, we need to go," Hylla said. Reyna slowly looked at her sister. Hylla's face was covered in soot, and she seemed to be favoring one of her legs. Blood from Adonia's wounds was trickling down Hylla's shoulder.

"There's an ambush at the clearing," Reyna said. She knew it in her gut. "Metis wouldn't have gone through all this trouble, unless she wanted to take us out. She's divided us. Now, she just needs to crush us."

Hylla stared at her for a moment. Her eyes flickered around, and she spoke, "Damn it. You're right. What are we going to do?"

Reyna slowly looked around. Most of the Sixth Legion was on their feet, but they all looked to have some kind of injury. About half of the legion was carrying someone, which meant a quarter of the legion was too injured to walk.

Everyone looked exhausted. They had been packing and training all day. It was the perfect recipe for a disastrous battle. Reyna made her way to the front of the Sixth Legion and turned towards them. She snapped an order in Latin. The legion stopped walking.

"I know that everybody is hurt and exhausted," Reyna said. At the words, the pain started to return to her back. She shifted Aquitaine on her shoulders, which did nothing to help. "But, we are walking into an ambush. At the clearing, Metis is waiting with her army. If we walk towards it unprepared, we will be slaughtered."

All eyes were on Reyna. She took a deep breath and spoke, "I know that I haven't been the imperator for very long, and compared to most of this legion, I'm not that experienced. That doesn't matter though. I am a daughter of Bellona. War runs in my veins. War is my life."

"That's why we're going to march to that clearing and destroy anyone that Metis dared to think would stand in our way," Reyna continued. She glanced back at the fire. It was still moving towards them. If they didn't push forward, it would consume them. That would be good motivation for the legion. "When we are near the clearing, we will have to set the injured down and cut through whoever dares to get in our way. Get in formation."

Reyna started to walk again. Aquitaine shifted and spoke, "That wasn't a bad speech, imperator. I can help you fight."

"No," Reyna said. "You can't stand on your leg, and we haven't been able to do anything about the wound on your stomach. You're going to relax. That's an order."

Aquitaine finally nodded. Reyna glanced at her, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw blood trickling down the front of her armor. It seemed to be from Aquitaine, who had taken on a pale color. They walked in silence for minutes, until they began to reach the clearing.

Reyna knelt down and gently laid Aquitaine on the ground. She placed both hands to Aquitaine's wound. Bristol knelt by her a moment later. He was already taking off his breastplate. His shirt followed a moment later, and he wrapped it around Aquitaine's stomach.

"Stay awake," Bristol whispered. Aquitaine didn't respond. She was almost out of it. Avaris knelt by Aquitaine. She silently started to take care of the wound. Bristol put his breastplate back on and stood.

"Lock shields," Reyna ordered as she turned. Three quarters of the Sixth Legion grabbed their shields and moved into formation. Reyna looked at Hylla. Her sister had grabbed a shield from an injured member of the legion.

Hylla met Reyna at the front of the line. There was a gleam in her eyes that always came when a battle was near. Hylla spoke, "It's been some time since we fought side by side. I've also never fought in a line like this."

"We aren't staying in a line," Reyna said. She grabbed her shield. "As soon as the initial attack is over, we're going to break the line and just attack. I need the Sixth Legion to fight for their lives and realize their backs are to a wall."

To her right, Reyna heard a branch snap. She turned, and an axe flew right by her face. An arrow hit the back of her shoulder and bounced off. On her left, another branch snapped. Reyna quickly realized that they were surrounded by enemies on three sides and fire on the fourth.

"Get in a circle!" Reyna yelled. She saw the Sixth Legion move itself into a large circle, with the injured in the middle. Reyna felt her heart drop as Arimaspi slowly surrounded them. The Sixth Legion was forming a circle three deep. A hand touched her shoulder and gripped it.

"You did want our backs to a wall," Hylla whispered. Reyna nodded slightly. Her eyes examined the crowd of Arimaspi. The crowd parted, as Metis made her way to the front.

"Daughter of Bellona, why don't you give up this futile endeavor?" Metis questioned. She walked right towards Reyna and stopped in front of her. "I will allow your legion to walk free. If I recall, you already caused the destruction of an army. We don't need a repeat of that. If you do want to continue on with this silly notion of war, your apocalypse is now."

Reyna didn't take the bait. She met Metis' eyes and studied her. Metis was wearing battle armor, but it was too clean to have ever been used. The Titaness smiled and looked around at the rest of the Sixth Legion. A fist suddenly slammed into Metis' face.

Arcadia shoved Metis backwards with enough force to cause the Titaness to slam into a tree. Then, everything turned into chaos. The Arimaspi rushed forward with a battle cry. Reyna raised her shield, and a sword slammed into it. Hylla stabbed the attacker in his chest.

"We're not going to be able to win this," Hylla commented. She blocked a sword, and Reyna stabbed under the shield. Hylla kicked the Arimaspi off of the blade.

"We will," Reyna promised. With her back burning in pain and the amount of Arimaspi surrounding them, it was hard to believe her words, but Reyna was determined. She was not going to have a repeat of the temple of the Fate. Somehow, they were going to win the fight.


	57. Nebel Des Krieges

As Arcadia landed her third punch on Metis' ugly, smug face, she felt one of her knuckles crack. Her only response was to raise her fist and bring it back down with more power than before. Metis managed to move her head, Arcadia's fist slammed into the tree, and both the tree and her knuckles seemed to crack.

"Help me," Metis ordered. It only took a fraction of a second for Arcadia to turn and bring her arm up. An axe slammed into her arm and and didn't stop until it was halfway through her bone. The handle of a second axe slammed into her temple.

Arcadia's powers had been dampened. She wasn't able to transport the Sixth Legion away from the fire, and that angered her greatly. There was no reason they should be in their current situation. The Sixth Legion was surrounded, and there was no way out.

Searing pain in her back snapped Arcadia out of her thoughts. A sword was pulled from her kidney. Metis threw her backwards. Arcadia hit the ground and tried to sit up. The axe tore into her stomach. A foot stepped on her throat a moment later.

"I was told stories about the great Arcadia. She was suppose to be this destructive force who could not be stopped. Reality is always bitterly disappointing," Metis said. She looked up, and her eyes examined the battle. For a few moments, Metis looked lost.

It was a deep look in Metis' eyes that no one else would see, and if they did, they wouldn't understand the meaning. Metis was a goddess of wisdom, but she was not a goddess of war. She knew everything about battles and strategies, but she didn't seem to realize that all of that knowledge was useless in an actual battle.

"Now, where is Kronos' blade?" Metis wondered. Arcadia didn't respond. She just glared angrily. Her only plan was to send Metis straight to Tartarus. It would be revenge for Enyo. "I am not going to ask you again, little goddess. Where is the sword?"

Arcadia remained silent and looked at the two Arimaspi standing by Metis. One held two axes. The other held a sword, and his skin looked like it was healing from a terrible burn. Arcadia remembered them as Macsen and Atticus.

"She is not going to answer," Macsen commented. He slammed both axes into Arcadia's collarbone. Arcadia bit her tongue. She could feel a mixture of poisons running through her veins. The plan was clearly to disable her, but it wasn't like they could do any worse than the magic floating through the air.

"I know that Artemis and Bellona do not have it. You wouldn't trust anyone else to have it, since you wanted revenge for your poor little friend. Who would you trust with Kronos' sword?" Metis wondered. Her eyes moved and focused on the imperator. A smile came to her face. "Of course."

"I cannot wait to have my axes taste her blood again," Macsen commented. He spun his axes in his hands and threw one right at the imperator. It flew past the head of an Arimaspi and was barely blocked by a shield. Arcadia saw the axe tear through part of the shield and most likely into Hylla's arm.

The imperator shoved her sister behind the line and blocked another attack. For a moment, her eyes met Macsen's. Then, she looked at Arcadia. It took Arcadia a moment to give her what she hoped was a reassuring nod.

"We'll get the sword," Atticus said. His voice was hard to hear, and it seemed like he could barely move his jaw. Macsen nodded his agreement. The two seemed ready for revenge. Metis finally shook her head.

"Not until I know your loyalties," Metis said. She twisted her heel on Arcadia's throat. Chains were applied to her wrist a moment later. The foot moved from her throat. Metis looked away from her. "Are you two going to support Thoon, or are you going to support me?"

"Thoon gave us immortality," Atticus muttered. He took a deep breath. "We promised him our very souls. There is no way that we can turn our backs on him."

"I gave you life," Metis commented. She looked around. "I saved your little group and warned you that the fleet was coming. The fleet of the damned was knocking on your door, and where was Thoon to save you? Would your immortality last if you had been stuck in the brig of a ship for the rest of time, until it sunk to the bottom of the ocean?"

"What happens to our immortality if Thoon is destroyed?" Macsen asked. Arcadia rolled her eyes and slowly moved herself to look at the fight. The Sixth Legion was surrounded but seemed to be holding their own. It helped that the Arimaspi used spears and javelins. If they were smart and used swords, the fight would be much worse for the legion.

The legion had made a circle with their back to the injured. They were desperate wolves in a fight for survival. The imperator knew that the wolves would do anything to get their backs away from the wall. If there was one thing Arcadia was sure of, it was that the Arimaspi were in for the fight of their lives.

Arcadia looked down at the chains. She lowered her hands and placed her right foot to the chain. Arcadia tried to force her right arm out of the chain. No one seemed to pay attention to her. Metis was focused on the Arimaspi.

It was no secret that the bronze chain blocked the strength and power of immortals. Arcadia didn't have her godly strength, but that wasn't going to stop her from tearing her wrist from the chains. Arcadia gritted her teeth as the chains started to tear the skin from her wrist.

Metis turned and grabbed Arcadia by the throat. She picked her up and studied the chains. Metis spoke, "A desperate savage will do whatever they can for their freedom. What would you do to save the Sixth Legion? You can save them, if you tell them to kneel."

"The Sixth Legion listens to our imperator. One of us is not more important than the group," Arcadia said. Metis smiled and looked at the army. She frowned. Arcadia turned her head to look at the army as well. An arrow flew into the sky, and when it reached the apex of its height, it exploded into a shower of red.

"Is that a flare?" Metis questioned. She looked mildly impressed. "I imagine a child of Vulcan came up with that. It won't matter much. The Greeks are surrounded and being whittled down by monsters. They are not going to be able to rescue your army in time."

"We don't need a rescue," Arcadia said. As she finished her sentence, a chill ran through the clearing. The hair on Arcadia's arm stood on end, and even Metis looked around in surprise. Arcadia was thrown to the ground a moment later.

"No," Macsen whispered. He turned around quickly and seemed to be shaking. The color drained from his face. Arcadia quickly looked around and saw a black mist spilling into the clearing. The mist seemed to part of into tendrils that went straight for the bodies on the ground.

"Back up!" Macsen yelled. He started to repeat the order in Greek. Once the Arimaspi saw the mist, they didn't hesitate to follow the order. The army backed up, leaving the Sixth Legion with a few feet of room.

"What are you doing?" Metis demanded. She turned and looked around. Parts of the mist slowly circled the dead bodies before moving to their mouths. Arcadia stared as the mist entered the mouths of the dead. "Kill them! Don't stand around."

"The legion of the damned is here!" Macsen snapped as he turned. His one eye held desperation that didn't fit a warrior. There was absolute fear in his face. "I am calling a full retreat!"

Arcadia stared at the scene in front of her. Then, she saw one of the fallen legionnaires stand. A sword was lodged in their chest, and they simply removed it. Small amounts of mist seemed to roll off of them. Arcadia slowly tried to sit up and continued to try and remove her wrist from the chain. If there was ever a time that the Sixth Legion needed her, it was now.

The other dead started to stand. The imperator snapped an order to lock shields, and everyone moved closer. Arimaspi were starting to back up. A full retreat seemed only a few seconds away. The first dead legionnaire that had stood turned towards the imperator.

Arcadia stopped staring and tried to stand, but it was impossible to. As she tried to move, her mind was racing. This was something she had never seen before, and something told her it was one of the secrets that Zeus had tried to hide, if he knew about it. All she could do was assume that the supposed legion of the damned wanted them dead.

"Kill them!" Metis ordered. Her voice echoed throughout the clearing, and everyone heard her. Metis turned on Arcadia and stepped on her throat. "I am going to kill your imperator, and then, I am going make sure your army is destroyed. When the demigods are gone, I will tear Olympus down brick by brick."

"I am tired of the gall that the Olympians possess. They hide behind demigods, as if that will save them," Metis hissed. She twisted her heel on Arcadia's throat. There was the sharp sound of bones cracking, and Arcadia grabbed Metis' foot. The Titaness smiled at her pain.

Despite the predicament that she was in, Arcadia looked out at the battlefield. The Arimaspi were now the ones that were surrounded. Some of their dead had been shoved behind their lines, but now, those dead were back to life, somehow. Arcadia didn't know if it was possession or something else sinister, but it looked like this new legion was focused solely on the Arimaspi.

The Sixth Legion was showing no mercy, and the legion of the damned only matched their ferocity. There was no fighting around the imperator. In fact, she seemed to be having silent conversation with the apparent leader of the legion of the damned.

"They crawl their ways out of the grave, just to follow that monstrosity," Metis commented. Her eyes focused on the first legionnaire that had stood. "Men and women who are disgraced in battle join the general who was destroyed by the ultimate betrayal. History has not recorded her name, nor has the gods. They only fear it. She is a very fitting ally for Reyna."

"Who are they?" Arcadia wheezed. She was still able to form words, which was good. Breathing was a little bit harder, but that didn't matter to Arcadia. "Why are they chasing the Arimaspi?"

"They are enemies," Metis answered. She unsheathed her sword and studied it for a moment. Metis took a deep breath and walked towards the imperator. It seemed like the imperator was wrapped up in her own conversation. It took a moment for her to notice the Titaness.

Metis snapped a word, and there was a blinding light. Arcadia was forced to look away. When she looked back, the imperator and Metis were gone. The general of the damned was slowly getting to their feet. Hylla stared at the area where her sister had been.

Arcadia slowly sat against the tree. Her eyes examined everything. The fire was still heading towards them, and they were still fighting. Their imperator was gone, taken by Metis. Arcadia just wanted to know where they went.

"Where is she?" Hylla demanded. She grabbed the general of the damned. No response was given. It took Arcadia a moment to realize that the general couldn't talk. Hylla didn't seem to realize it. "Where did my sister go!"

"Metis took her," Arcadia said. She had to raise her voice over the sounds of the battle. Hylla shoved the general down and walked towards Arcadia. "Metis must fear that the imperator would meet up with the other champions and destroy Thoon."

"That doesn't answer where my sister went," Hylla snapped. There was fear and desperation in her voice. She looked ready to tear apart the world to find her younger sister. Arcadia slowly looked around.

The Arimaspi were trying to fall back, but there was nowhere for them to run. They were outmatched and outnumbered. For every person that died, they would slowly rise as some sort of member of the legion of the damned. Arcadia, from what she understood from her conversation with Metis, figured there was only a spirit inhabiting the body. That didn't make it any better.

When they realized their situation, the Arimaspi started to lower their weapons and put their hands up in the air. Macsen and Atticus were doing the same. They seemed to realize how hopeless it was to fight. Arcadia slowly stood and limped towards her legion.

"Where is the imperator?" Arcadia demanded. No one answered her. Arcadia glared and looked around at the Arimaspi. They were just puppets that were used by Metis. There was no way they could have known the situation they were going to get into. Arcadia looked at the Sixth Legion. "Kill them all."

Arcadia watched the slaughter and looked up at the sky. They would deliver Atticus and Macsen to the other two champions to deal with. Arcadia closed her eyes and and tried to find the imperator. She opened her eyes, not sensing the imperator's presence anywhere.

"Where is my sister?" Hylla asked. Arcadia turned to look at the Amazon. She looked back up at sky and tried to think of all the places that the imperator could be. Her attention moved back to the injured members of her legion.

"We'll find the imperator," Arcadia promised. "For now, we have to deal with our injured and get away from the fire. I guess we have to help the Greeks as well. We'll see if we can get this legion of the damned to help them. We don't know anything about them."

"Kinzie," Hylla whispered. She turned back towards the fire. "She was with the Greeks and other Amazons. I have to go find her, and we have to find Reyna."

"We'll find both," Arcadia promised. She looked around one more time and took a deep breath. Something told her the imperator was in trouble, but that wasn't Arcadia's first priority. She knew that Reyna would want her to help the Greeks first.

Arcadia turned towards the leader of the legion of the damned. It hurt to see one of her legionnaires dead and being used as some kind of vessel. Arcadia spoke, "We're going to move to help the Greeks. Can you help them?"

The figure titled their head and turned. They seemed to study their surroundings. Arcadia watched the mist leave the body, and all of the bodies being used as vessels collapsed. Arcadia turned towards the legion and spoke, "We march in thirty seconds. Grab your gear, the injured, and let's go rescue the Greeks."


	58. All Come to Ruin

Reyna slowly blinked the bright light out of her eyes. She tried to move, but pain tore through her back. The last thing she remembered was talking to the general. They had given her a name, but Reyna was having trouble remembering it. She looked up and saw Metis standing over her.

"Months and months of planning have led to this," Metis said. She turned and walked away. Reyna slowly used her elbows to push herself up. Fully sitting up wasn't an option, but she could still get a good view of the large room. It wasn't what she was expecting.

The room looked like it was a temple, but there was warm, comforting candles burning everywhere. Against one wall, there was a large gathering of backpacks, blankets, pillows, and other basic supplies. It looked like a safe place.

"Where are we?" Reyna slowly asked. She groaned as Metis placed a foot on her chest and pushed her back against the ground. Metis grabbed Reyna's sword and hissed as it burned her skin. A determined look crossed the Titaness' face, and she tightened her grip.

"This is the temple of the goddess of peace. It is open to anyone who wants it," Metis answered. "No immortal can detect who is inside, other than the goddess this temple belongs to, and she's too busy spreading messages of peace to check in on us. This place also marks your grave."

Reyna tried to raise her shield. Metis stepped on her wrist and pinned it down. She raised Reyna's sword a moment later. The red blade seemed to take on the color of blood, and as Reyna stared at it, she felt like she was watching her life flash before her eyes.

"You understand, don't you?" Metis asked. There was a power hungry look in her eyes. She rested the tip of the sword against Reyna's breastplate, hovering near her heart. "You do understand that I can kill you. Atropos told you that you cannot die, unless you choose to. The truth is not so kind."

"As the reaper, you stab people in the chest and chant your little ritual," Metis continued. "When I stab you in the chest, I will repeat those words and finally put you to rest. It took many years of research and understanding to realize one thing: the strongest of us have the simplest weakness."

Reyna studied the blade and tried to think of a way out. No one was coming to rescue her. There was no going to be any sudden bouts of strength. She was left to fend for herself. One hand was still free, and she slowly grabbed her dagger. Reyna slashed at Metis' leg and threw the dagger right at the Titaness' face.

Metis caught the blade and went to stab it into Reyna's ankle. It hit her armor, and the blade bounced right of. Metis seemed surprised. Reyna rolled to the side and got to her knees. She unsheathed Kronos' sword and swung at Metis' neck.

A hand grabbed her wrist, and Metis stabbed her in the chest. Unlike the dagger, Reyna's sword tore through her armor like butter. Kronos' sword fell from her hand, and Metis kicked it away. The two stayed there for a few moments. Reyna was trying to process what had happened. Metis knelt by her and spoke, "The sword that binds you to your duty of death also binds you to life."

"So, you repeat the words that Atropos gave me on that paper, and I die?" Reyna slowly asked. It was hard to speak. She looked at her sword then up at Metis. "You are doing the same thing to me that I have to do to those that escaped Tartarus. You must love the irony."

"I do," Metis promised. She pulled Reyna to her feet and shoved her backwards into a statue. Reyna hissed as her head and shoulder blades slammed into the statue's shield. A forearm was forced against her throat. Metis looked her in the eyes. "Do you understand how hard it is to kill you? You just refuse to die."

"I've been told that a lot," Reyna hissed. She winced as Metis shifted her forearm, but it allowed her to still speak. Metis let go of the sword that was still embedded in Reyna's chest. It looked like she was enjoying her victory.

"I don't think you understand how long I have been trying to kill you," Metis said. She pulled the helmet off of Reyna's head and threw it to the side. Reyna slowly laid her head against the statue. "In a different world, you could have been my general, but this is not that world. I cannot believe the effort I expended to kill you."

"I forged Prometheus' signature perfectly onto the letter that I sent to the demititans. When they failed, I knew I would have to go somewhere closer to home. I started to whisper in the ear of a disgruntled Amazon. Logically, four Amazons should have been able to kill one Roman. You defy all logic," Metis commented.

"Stealing the shield was a little rash, but it had to be done. I let my anger get the best of me, so I used the witch to charmspeak your sister. My goal was to frame you, and it worked. You were forced to go on a quest to clear your name, where I hoped you would die. Unfortunately, you didn't, and Ouranos was trying to rise at the time. So, I made it seem like I was trying to help him," Metis continued.

"That's why you helped me," Reyna said. "You were trying to rectify your mistake of raising Ouranos. Why use me as a vessel then?"

"I hoped the effort would kill you, or you would die in some other manner," Metis replied. "I didn't expect Atropos to interfere and make you her champion. You also proved to be very resilient. I was running out of options, and I knew what my best solution would be."

"Thoon would have to be dealt with sooner or later," Metis explained. "I told him that I wanted to use you as a vessel, so he would kill you for me. That would probably anger one of your friends, and they would avenge you. The only thing that matters now is that you will die by my hand, and you already landed your fateful blow on Thoon."

"Fateful blow?" Reyna questioned in confusion. She was trying to process everything that Metis was telling her. Was everything that had happened just so Metis could kill her? Why go through that much effort?

"Thoon must be killed by the combined efforts of the three champions and an immortal. No one ever said the three champions had to land their blows at the same time," Metis answered. "With everything that had happened, I was left with a conundrum."

"How do I break the girl of iron?" Metis wondered. "How do I make this headstrong girl realize she is vincible. Luckily, Annabeth Chase provided me the answer. She revealed your patricide to the senate, and it started your downhill spiral. Now, you are here with no friends or allies, thanks to Annabeth. She allowed me enough time to learn the secret to destroying you."

Reyna yelled as Metis twisted the sword and started to repeat the same words that were on Reyna's paper. Metis leaned in close and spoke, "This is what all of your victims experienced. Unlike you, I am not a savage, so I will not force you to stay conscious for your last moments."

"My sister can still fulfill the prophecy," Reyna said painfully. "She'll stop you."

"Your sister would stop me, if the prophecy was real," Metis snapped. She looked at Reyna and smiled. "Have you not realized it yet? It was all a trick for you to work with Annabeth and Piper. Is it not odd that this prophecy was given to you by the Fates and not by an Oracle?"

"Why did the prophecy just so happen to work out for every problem you ran into?" Metis wondered. Reyna looked down at the sword and swallowed painfully. "Atropos just wanted you to work with those who would stab you in the back. She knew that demigods are all the same. They believe that prophecy will lead them to what is right, so they just follow their interpretation blindly."

"Atropos lied," Reyna whispered. She looked down at the ground. Why couldn't Atropos tell her the truth? Reyna had been following the prophecy, and she had been played like a fool. A sick feeling settled in her gut. Metis grabbed her face and lifted her head.

"You are going to die alone, daughter of Bellona. You were a worthy adversary, but in the end, you were no match for a Titaness, no matter how good your luck may be. Sooner or later, it all comes to ruin." Metis commented. She slammed Reyna's head into the statue, and everything went dark.


	59. Revertus Ut Pulveris

Bellona had seen many things as a goddess, but she never made the mistake of thinking that nothing could surprise her. There was always someone who would think of a new strategy, whether they were a mortal and immortal. When a dragon decided to drop into the middle of their camp and explode, Bellona was surprised, for a millisecond.

Then, she examined her surroundings. Anyone too close to the explosion was killed instantly. Anyone fortunate enough to be out of the kill zone was still thrown off of their feet, where monsters fell upon them a moment later. Those that stayed on their feet were also swarmed by monsters, but they had enough time and sense to grab their weapons.

It was like Tartarus had spit out every monster that had ever been destroyed by a demigod. Bellona blinked and examined the explosion. They were cut off from the Sixth Legion. Bellona quickly looked around. She couldn't see Hylla or Reyna, but she could sense them. Both of them were alive.

Hylla's presence was strong, which meant that she wasn't anywhere near death. That was good. Bellona couldn't afford to lose her daughters. It had been decades since she last had a child. It took a very special mortal to catch Bellona's attention.

Bellona blinked once and tried to focus on Reyna's presence. It was much harder, and most of the time, it was blocked by her patron: Atropos. It was only by the blessing of Atropos' that Bellona could tell her daughter was still alive, if you could call Reyna's condition alive.

There was a sudden shift in the air, and Bellona turned around. She caught a sword on her shield. Thoon smiled at her and stepped away. He looked as smug as always. The giant took another step away and seemed to study their surroundings.

"Metis did always make the best plans," Thoon commented. "An army divided, and both of them are being destroyed. I wonder which one will last the longest. You would think it is the Greeks, but these monsters are relentless."

Bellona glanced around for the two other champions. Clarisse was organizing her siblings and trying to get the Greeks into some kind of formation. Anything would be better than the chaos they were in. Percy Jackson was standing by his mother's side and fighting to defend her.

Where was Artemis though? Bellona knew she could take the giant on by herself, but it wouldn't be an easy fight. It also wouldn't matter if her daughter wasn't around. They needed Reyna. All three champions had to be there to destroy Thoon.

Thoon smiled and stepped closer to the Greek fire. With his power, he wouldn't have to worry about the flames hurting him. The fire would do nothing to Bellona, but there would be no way the demigods could get near the giant. Bellona wouldn't allow him near the fire.

"Cowardice does not suit the mighty Thoon," Bellona commented. She motioned to the fire before focusing back on her opponent. "And, the mighty Thoon would never hide behind a Titaness, or that was what I had been told by Athena. It's possible she is wrong on one thing."

"I was also told Bellona was one of little words. It seems Metis was wrong. You are nothing more than a pretender, are you not?" Thoon questioned. Bellona glared and took a deep breath. Thoon wanted to offend her pride and warrior spirit, so she wouldn't think about her actions.

"You hide behind fire," Bellona stated. She looked around the fire trying to see through it. Was it possible they could destroy the monsters get to the Sixth Legion, or would they be met by the legion first? What did Metis have in mind for the Sixth Legion. "Where is the Titaness?"

"With your daughters," Thoon answered. "She's systematically destroying your oldest, before she moves on to the little champion of Atropos. Bellona, why do you fight for Zeus, or do you call him Jupiter? He cares nothing for your children, never has."

Thoon opened his mouth to speak, but he was shoved forward and into Bellona's blade. The giant wasted no time in shoving Bellona backwards. Her hand slipped off her sword, but Artemis was already firing three arrows into Thoon's back.

"We're not in good shape," Artemis commented as she notched three more arrows. Bellona nodded, and a javelin appeared in her hand. She dodged Thoon's attack and allowed Artemis to push Thoon away from the Greek fire. Bellona glanced around at the battle.

The monsters allowed no time for a line to be formed. Small groups were fighting desperately. The more powerful demigods were pushing their powers to the limits. Bellona glanced at Artemis and deflected another attack from Thoon.

If Bellona wanted to destroy the demigods, she would send her troops in waves. Bellona assumed that the monsters were the first wave. Were the Arimaspi the second wave, or were they preoccupied with the Sixth Legion?

"You look unfocused," Thoon commented. He angrily swatted Artemis' arrows aside. "Is it because you know the Olympians are planning on killing your daughters? We both know they are a huge threat to Zeus."

"My daughters will face their fair punishments for what they did," Bellona said simply. "Your attempts to unhinge me are not going to work. My only duty is to destroy you and send you back to Tartarus."

Thoon smiled, and Bellona felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. She turned her head to see an arrow sticking out of it. Bellona fully turned to see three more arrows flying at her. Her shield caught the arrows, but she found herself staring at Artemis.

"What are you doing?" Bellona questioned. Artemis seemed confused herself. Her right hand was shaking as it grabbed three more arrows. It was almost like she was trying to fight herself. Thoon laughed and stepped back.

"You two goddesses have fun. I have some champions to maim," Thoon said. He turned towards Clarisse and walked towards her. The daughter of Ares had her back turned. Bellona tried to call out a warning, but a bow slammed into her face.

"I can't stop myself," Artemis began. She flipped out a hunting knife and swiped at Bellona's neck. Bellona easily avoided the knife and grabbed Artemis' arms. She stared into the eyes of her fellow goddess. There was a misty look to them.

"Old magic," Bellona commented. She tightened her grip on Artemis' wrists before grabbing the bow and throwing Artemis across the clearing. Bellona turned towards Thoon and saw a large blast of lightning.

At first, Bellona thought the son of Jupiter had called down a bolt of lightning. It took her a moment to realize that Clarisse had slammed her spear into Thoon's chest and snapped it. The discharge of lightning had sent nearby demigods scrambling back.

"I'm not scared of a stupid giant," Clarisse commented. She grabbed her sword that marked her as a champion. As Bellona watched, she heard movement behind her. The goddess of war turned and barely blocked a hunting knife. A bow slammed into her gut.

Bellona wasn't easily stunned or winded, but the bow shot did the trick. She took a step back and coughed. Artemis slammed her to the ground and brought her hunting knife down. Bellona caught it and tried to push the knife away.

As the two struggled, Bellona tried to keep an eye on the battle. It seemed like the demigods were turning the tides on the monsters. Bellona turned her attention back to Artemis. She knew that the goddess was under an old magic that Thoon had found.

There had been a time when Bellona had fallen under the effects of the spell. A great whispering clouded her mind, and she found herself unable to control her own actions. It had to be what Artemis was experiencing, but Bellona didn't know how to break the spell.

"How are the demigods fairing?" Artemis questioned. She struggled to pull away from Bellona but couldn't. Bellona focused on trying to gain leverage over Artemis. They were both still struggling for the hunting knife and had taken each other out of the fight, just like Thoon wanted.

"They are doing better," Bellona answered. She tried to push Artemis away with her knees. "This spell is something used by the older gods. Do you have any idea of who brought you under it or how to break it?"

"No," Artemis answered. She closed her eyes for a moment. "I can feel the voice in the back of my head telling me what to do, and it's controlling me. Is this Circe still working against us, or is it something worse?"

Bellona shifted Artemis and looked around again. The two were not a threat to each other, as they were matched in strength. It was only a waste of time and a distraction, so Bellona couldn't help the champions against Thoon. Artemis' face showed her anger.

A hand grabbed Artemis and pulled her to her feet. Athena slammed her hands into Artemis' ears before dropping the goddess. Bellona stood and looked at the goddess of wisdom. Athena looked around.

"This place was marked by magic from Hecate a long time ago. I believe Thoon knew of the spell and used it against us. It was originally meant to keep immortals away from this area," Athena explained. Artemis stood and wiped the golden ichor from her ears.

"Roman blood protects me?" Bellona asked stepping towards Thoon. He was locked into a battle with Clarisse. Other demigods looked like they had joined in but had also been dispatched. Clarisse had one hand to her side, where there looked to be a nasty gash.

"Yes," Athena answered. She led them towards Thoon, who threw Clarisse into a tree with bone shattering force. "Ruptured eardrums did the trick for Artemis, and Hecate has already put a protective spell over me. Where is the champion of Atropos?"

"I don't know," Bellona answered. Thoon turned towards them and took a step back. After a moment, the giant smirked and lunged forward. Artemis swept forward to meet him. Bellona allowed another sword to appear into her hands, but Athena grabbed her arm.

"You must help the injured demigods and find your daughters," Athena said. "We will take care of Thoon."

Bellona tried to nod, but Artemis was thrown into her. They both fell to the ground and tried to stand without getting tangled up with each other. Out of the corner of her eye, Bellona saw Thoon taking the fight to Athena and picking apart her battle strategy with ease.

Artemis jumped to her feet and notched three arrows. Bellona stood and attacked Thoon from behind, but the giant seemed to know what would happen. He stepped to the side, and Bellona stopped her sword an inch from Athena's face. A boot slammed into her back throwing her into the goddess of wisdom.

If there was something Bellona was not use to, it was being over matched in a battle. She stood and attacked Thoon. Both Athena and Artemis jumped in and helped. Thoon seemed to have no problems fighting the three goddesses.

As they fought, Bellona focused in on the fact that the monsters were backing the demigods away from the fire. The numbers of the monsters had been cut down, which was only good news for the demigods. Bellona could just see the multiple injuries that the demigods had. Her eyes scanned for a particular daughter of Athena.

Annabeth Chase was removing her sword from a cyclops. She turned towards Sally and seemed to shout out an order. Annabeth looked back at Thoon and seemed to study the giant. It seemed like she was planning on making a move.

"You three cannot hope to defeat me," Thoon commented. He disarmed Athena and threw Artemis backwards. Bellona stabbed forward, and the giant barely managed to dodge the blade. He swung his fist around and slammed it into Bellona's face.

As Bellona fell backwards, she reached forward to grab onto the giant. All she managed to do was grab a piece of his breastplate. Artemis tried to stab him from behind, but Thoon turned. A hunting knife cut through the strap on his breastplate, causing Bellona to fall to the ground and take the breastplate with her.

Thoon stepped back and looked down. There was a disgusting wound on his chest that had ichor trickling out of it. Bellona sat up and stared at the wound. It looked older and not from that day. In fact, the wound from Clarisse was below that and bleeding much more.

"A wound by a champion, but Sally's blade is untouched," Athena stated as she stood. "The reaper has already fulfilled her part. All it would take is another immortal and Sally."

Thoon snarled and seemed to understand his predicament. He tried to back away, but the three goddesses surrounded him. The giant growled and gripped his weapon. Thoon spoke, "I am not going to die today."

Thoon struck faster than Bellona anticipated. He stabbed Artemis in the shoulder, tore the sword out, and used the momentum to swing at Athena and cut her across the chest. Bellona stepped forward only to find herself slammed into a tree with a sword buried in her gut.

"Pride runs deep," Thoon commented. He threw Bellona into Artemis and quickly stepped away. Thoon shook his head and started to walk backwards. "This fight is over for now. I am not going to allow myself to be defeated by some weak, pathetic goddesses."

Thoon continued to back away from the fight and towards the flames. Artemis cursed at him as she struggled to her feet. She notched three arrows and tried to fire them. The giant simply stepped to the side and smiled.

"You can't destroy me if I don't allow the third champion near me," Thoon taunted. He looked back at the fire and then back at the goddesses. Ash started to move beneath his feet. "Why don't you three go back to doing what you do best: destroying each other and your children."

Thoon snapped something at them in an ancient language, older than Bellona. He didn't seem to notice that the ash behind him was starting to form into a person. Bellona stared at the ash and felt a sick feeling. Athena even seemed shocked.

In the blink of an eye, the ash finished forming, and they stabbed a sword into Thoon's back. Thoon looked down and was thrown forward. Artemis and Athena both grabbed onto the giant and wrestled him to the ground. Bellona stared at the figure made of ash.

"Bellona, you need to get Sally," Athena said. Without moving her eyes, Bellona started to walk backwards towards Sally. It took her a moment to force herself to turn towards Sally and move towards her. Sally was gripping her arm, which seemed to have been used as a chew toy for a hellhound.

Annabeth and Percy were both kneeling next to Sally. They looked up as Bellona walked towards them. Bellona spoke, "It is time for Sally to destroy Thoon."

Sally looked up at Bellona. Her gaze slowly turned towards Thoon. Sally grabbed her sword and gripped the handle. The mortal was shaking. Bellona grabbed her shoulder and started to drag her towards Thoon.

Thoon hissed and suddenly threw Athena into Artemis. He rolled to the side and jumped to his feet. As Thoon jumped, he grabbed Bellona's javelin and threw it at the two goddesses.

Bellona was semi impressed by how the javelin tore through both Athena and Artemis like they were nothing more than butter. The two goddess' stumbled for a moment, and Thoon was already getting ready to run towards the fire and safety. A scythe literally cut his leg out from under him.

Atropos placed her foot into Thoon's back. Her sister, Lachesis, slammed a spear right through Thoon's neck, pinning the giant to the ground. The third sister stepped forward and looked at Sally. Clotho spoke, "Come, my champion. Let us finish this together."

Sally slowly walked towards Clotho and held out her sword. The Fate reached out and grabbed Sally's hand. Together, the two stabbed Thoon through his back and into his heart. The giant yelled in pain. Bellona turned away from Thoon and started to walk towards the other demigods.

There was no need for her to watch the death of a giant. All she cared about was making sure the demigods had not suffered too many casualties, so they could find the Sixth Legion and Reyna. A scan of the battle showed there was a great number of demigods on the ground. It was hard to tell if they were injured or dead.

Bellona took a moment to recognize one demigod that was grappling with a empousa. Kinzie's weapon looked to be long gone, and there was a nasty gash on her forehead. The empousa slammed Kinzie down and seemed to whisper a threat. A sword slammed into the empousa a moment later and turned her into dust.

Clarisse pulled Kinzie to her feet and dragged her towards Bellona. The daughter of Ares spoke, "Is Thoon dead then? We didn't need Reyna?"

"Reyna had injured Thoon before," Bellona replied. She grabbed Kinzie and helped her stay on her feet. There was no way she would allow her eldest daughter's girlfriend to die, not again. "We need to get all the injured away from the fire. Athena and Artemis can assist you. I am going to find my daughters."

"Is Hylla alive?" Kinzie asked. She looked up at Bellona. The goddess of war nodded. "I'm going with you then. I need to make sure that Hylla and Reyna are safe."

"It would be the first time you cared about your children," a voice interrupted. The voice was raw and scratchy. It sounded like it had not been used in a very long time. Bellona slowly turned towards the ash figure. She could just barely make out their features, but she knew exactly what they looked like.

"Who in Ares' name are you suppose to be?" Clarisse demanded. Bellona locked eyes with the figure. All immortals knew who the figure was. They were suppose to stay in Rome, in the place where they had died. No one knew the real truth to their death though, besides Bellona.

"The leader of the legion of the damned," Bellona answered. "I will tell you more, after I find my daughters. Centurion, do you know where they are?"

"Metis has one," the ash figure answered. They stopped as if it hurt to talk. "The other is safe, for the moment."

"Thank you," Bellona answered. The ash figure seemed to glare, and the ash slowly started to dissipate and disappear in the wind. Bellona knew that it was not the last she had seen of the leader of the damned. The centurion would be back, where Bellona like it or not, but she had more important to focus on. "Let's go find my daughters."


	60. All the World's a Stage

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Arcadia was almost disappointed to see that Greeks had the monsters mostly handled. There was a few minor monsters that were no match for the few members of the Sixth Legion that rushed forward to erase them. Her gaze moved to the corpse that looked like it had belonged to Thoon. The giant was destroyed. Good.

"Where are my daughters?" Bellona demanded. Arcadia was forced to turn around as a hand roughly grabbed her shoulder, and she winced at the pain that tore through her wounds. It took her a few moments to focus on the goddess. Bellona tightened her grip. "Where are they?"

"Get off," Arcadia snapped. She shoved Bellona back and glanced back at the legion. Her eyes met with Hylla, who was at the back of the line helping with the wounded. Hylla looked up and walked towards them. She ignored her mother and went right for her Amazons. Bellona grabbed her daughter's shoulder.

"Where is Reyna?" Bellona demanded. Hylla angrily turned on her mother. For a moment, Arcadia thought she needed to step between the two, but she also wouldn't mind seeing a fight between the two. Someone needed to slap the pride out of both of them.

"I don't know," Hylla snapped. "She was taken by Metis, and we came here to help you instead of finding her! Where is Kinzie?"

"I'm here," Kinzie answered. Hylla turned and was hugged tightly by her girlfriend. Arcadia watched for a few moments before getting bored and turning towards the other demigods. Everyone was starting to mingle as they finished off the last few monsters and offered assistance to each other. It looked like the fire wouldn't be a danger.

Arcadia limped past demigods and demititans as she made her way towards Athena. The goddess of wisdom was tending to one of her children. Arcadia spoke, "Where would Metis have taken Reyna?"

"I don't know," Athena answered. She placed a hand to one of her own wounds and slowly stood. Arcadia studied her silently and slowly crossed her arms. "Is there something wrong Arcadia, or can I get back to tending to my children?"

"You have to vouch for the imperator," Arcadia began. Athena stopped and looked up at her. She stood and glared down at Arcadia. It was clear the goddess of wisdom did not like being told what to do, but of course, Athena always had to get her way.

"I do not have to vouch for anyone, if the imperator is even still alive," Athena said. "Our problems would be solved if she were dead. If Zeus has his way, that may be the case. Now, I have more important problems to focus on."

Arcadia glared Athena. It took her a few moments to calm down enough to turn away and walk back towards her legion. There was no place for the legion with the Greeks. They would never accept them. All Arcadia needed to do was convince Reyna of that, if she could find the imperator.

A glance to her right showed that Hylla was kneeling next to Kinzie and taking care of her. The two were talking quietly, so Arcadia decided to walk towards them. Truthfully, she had no clue where Reyna was or where Metis would take her/ There was one entity that could sense Reyna's presence.

Arcadia slowly looked at Atropos. The Fate was standing silently next to her two sisters and examining the battlefield. The three started to move out towards the dead demigods. They would spend a few moments kneeling next to them and whispering something. Then, the Fates would move on. Arcadia assumed it was an afterlife blessing.

It took Arcadia a few moments to walk towards Atropos. Immortals just didn't approach the Fates, unless they were named Zeus. Arcadia cleared her throat and spoke,"Where is the imperator? I know you're blocking her presence."

"I do not know," Atropos responded. She turned and looked at Arcadia, with black, dead eyes. Arcadia took a step back and did her best to meet Atropos' eyes. "She was taken to a place where I cannot sense her presence, if she is still alive."

"How can you not sense your champion's presence?" Arcadia demanded. Atropos looked at her again, and Arcadia found herself backing up. Something told her it wouldn't be wise to yell at Fate. After a moment of staring, Atropos turned and walked towards another dead demigod. All Arcadia could do was turn and walk back towards her legion. She looked to her side sensing another presence.

The Titaness, Rhea, looked at her. Rhea was kneeling by Sarah and a few other demititans. Rhea stood and spoke, "They will still have to take Camp Half-Blood, but that should be an easy task. I believe I know where Reyna is."

"How would you know?" Arcadia demanded. Rhea held out her hand. After a moment, Arcadia grabbed her hand. She looked around at the legion and gave a nod to Bristol. He would be able to keep things under control while she was gone.

"Reyna is also my champion, and I did give her a ring that allows me to know her location," Rhea answered. Arcadia made a mental note to make sure that Reyna got rid of the ring. "I can sense where the ring is, and as long as Reyna has it, she should be in the temple of the goddess of peace."

"Pax?" Arcadia questioned. "Why would she be there? Why would Metis want to take Reyna there? That makes no sense."

"The temple is a safe place for pilgrims," Rhea answered. "Immortals cannot tell who is inside. I can only tell that is where the ring is."

Arcadia rolled her eyes at the technicality. She blinked and found herself outside of a temple. Arcadia pulled from Rhea and shoved open the doors of the temple. Upon stepping inside, she found herself in a long hallway. There was inscriptions in multiple languages on the walls: a protector's promise to pilgrims.

Arcadia stalked forward and towards a large set of doors that no mortal could open on their own. Part of her knew that Rhea had taken her outside of the temple to bother her and remind her of her place. Everyone like Pax better, mostly because she represented peace. Arcadia couldn't help that she was bred for war.

Upon pushing open the large doors, Arcadia found herself staring at the scene in front of her. It took her a few moments to process the scene, and she quickly moved to the imperator's side. Reyna was laying on her stomach and had her left arm pinned under her. Reyna's right arm was stretched out, and her fingers rested against the hilt of Kronos' blade.

Arcadia's gaze turned towards Metis, and a smile came to her face. Metis' body was laying near Reyna, but Metis' head had rolled a few feet away. It seemed like the Titaness had been decapitated in a last ditch effort by Reyna.

"She destroyed Metis," Rhea began. Arcadia knelt by Reyna and examined the nasty wound on the back of her head. There was a small pool of blood below Reyna. Arcadia gently grabbed her imperator and rolled her onto her back.

There was a wound still trickling blood on Reyna's chest. It looked to be right near her heart. Arcadia looked around for Metis' weapon, but she couldn't find it anywhere. A glance back at Kronos' blade showed no blood besides the ichor, so what had stabbed Reyna in the chest?

Rhea knelt by them holding bandages. She gently bandaged the worst of the imperator's wounds. Arcadia could see Reyna's faint breathing, which meant the imperator was still alive. Arcadia stood and looked around. Something was wrong.

Another examination of the room showed there was a statue with smeared blood on it. If Arcadia had to guess, Metis had slammed the back of Reyna's head into the statue, which should have knocked Reyna out instantly. That didn't explain how Metis had been decapitated.

Arcadia stood and tried to imagine the scene. The only thing she could think was that Metis had stabbed Reyna in the chest, with a weapon Arcadia couldn't find, and then slammed her head into the statue. Reyna had collapsed forward swinging and somehow managed to decapitate the Titaness.

Upon thinking of it again, Arcadia knew she was missing something. No one else was around, so Reyna didn't have any help. Arcadia walked back towards the imperator and knelt by her. Reyna still had her sword in its sheathe.

"Something is wrong," Arcadia whispered. She stood and paced around. There was a dagger that looked to have slid under a table, but upon grabbing it, she found no blood. Arcadia then walked back towards Reyna and grabbed her sword. She ignored the burning sensation and pulled the sword out of its sheathe. She stared at the blood on it.

It was possible that the blood was from one of the Arimaspi, but it looked too fresh to be from them, and it practically covered the blade. Arcadia guessed that Reyna had been stabbed by her own sword, but how did it end up back in a sheathe?

Arcadia looked back down at Reyna, and her eyes moved to Kronos' blade. She knew the imperator had trouble using her right hand, so how had Reyna found the strength to grip the sword and decapitate Metis? Arcadia felt like she was looking too deep into everything, but there was something that was just wrong about the scene.

War was what Arcadia knew, and this scene of war looked fabricated, but who would know the two were inside the temple? Arcadia sighed and looked back at Metis' body. She spat on the Titaness and only hoped that Metis was rotting in the blackest pit of Tartarus.

A small groan escaped Reyna. The imperator slowly shifted and opened her eyes. Reyna blinked a few times and tried to sit up. One hand immediately went to the back of her head. The other hand pressed against her chest.

"How are you feeling?" Arcadia asked. Her eyes moved towards Rhea, who was moving Metis' body and trying to clean up some of the blood. Reyna groaned softly and closed her eyes. Arcadia gently grabbed ambrosia and a canteen of nectar from Reyna's belt.

"We were in a forest," Reyna began She forced her eyes open and looked around dazed and confused. Reyna slowly tried to grab the canteen from Arcadia, but she could barely grab it. Arcadia frowned and helped her imperator grip the canteen. "Where are we?"

"A temple," Arcadia answered. "Metis took you here, but it seems you ended her miserable existence. Can you sit up, or do you need me to help you?"

"I don't know," Reyna responded. She looked dazed and confused and blinked a few more times. Arcadia grabbed Kronos' blade with one hand, and she slowly helped her imperator to her feet. Reyna pretty much collapsed against her, but Arcadia kept her on her feet.

Arcadia looked at Rhea and then looked around. She would have to talk to Reyna about what had really happened with Metis. If the imperator had a concussion, it would have taken away the memory of the time there, but Arcadia could run her theory by Reyna. Granted, she didn't really have a theory. It was more of a feeling that something was wrong.

"Is the legion safe?" Reyna asked. She groaned softly and started to limp forward. Arcadia helped her walk towards a fallen helmet. Arcadia winced at the small dent in the back of the helmet, but she didn't think that the back of Reyna's head had been busted upon while she was wearing the helmet.

"They're safe," Arcadia answered. She grabbed the helmet for Reyna and looked around the temple room one more time. There was something wrong about the entire situation. Metis had Reyna all to herself, and Reyna was badly injured. How did the imperator manage to destroy Metis, and if she didn't, who did?

Arcadia sighed and knew the answers wouldn't be found staring at the temple. She looked back at her imperator. Arcadia spoke, "We are going to head back to the legion. You need to rest. I know the Olympians will be calling for you soon."


	61. Astra Inclinant Sed Non Obligant

Reyna groaned as Avaris finished the stitches in the back of her head. Her eyes glanced around the tent. Injured members of the legion were being attended to by those that were healthy. Avaris walked in front of Reyna and sighed tiredly. She looked completely exhausted from all of the healing she had done that day.

"How is Aquitaine doing?" Reyna asked. She didn't see the daughter of Venus anywhere. The dead Sixth Legion members had already been buried by Arcadia. The goddess was sitting in a corner and staring ahead. Reyna slowly looked back at Avaris.

"As far as I know, she is alive," Avaris answered. "When I was tending to her, Venus approached me and told me to leave them. I couldn't disobey the goddess, and I figured Aquitaine would be in good hands. Is your mother still outside the tent?"

Reyna nodded. They were camped far away from the fire, but as far as Reyna knew, mortals had been working to fight the flames, with some help from the Olympians. The monsters and Arimaspi that had attacked them had been dealt with. The rest of the Arimaspi and their friends were holed up at Camp Half-Blood, but it wouldn't be for long.

An assault was being planned on Camp Half-Blood, but Reyna had been left out of the loop. The entire Sixth Legion had been left out of the loop, and Reyna didn't like it. They were in the dog house, and nothing good could come of it.

The tent flap opened, and Aquitaine limped in, with the help of her mother. Aquitaine's leg was in a brace, but she looked better than she had before. Venus guided her daughter towards a bed and sat her down. Bristol was by their side in a moment.

Venus turned towards Reyna and walked towards her. Reyna slowly looked up at the goddess. She expected to get yelled at and probably escorted to the meeting, where she would be interrogated about what had happened to Metis. The problem was that she didn't remember what had happened. Instead, Venus stared down at her.

"Julius Caesar would have left my child for dead," Venus said. "When she told me she was going to join the Sixth Legion instead of going to Camp Jupiter, I told her she wasn't going to be my daughter anymore. Then, she prayed to me every meal and offered me a part of it every time. She would visit my old temples, keep them clean, and leave me offerings."

"Out of all of my children, Carina did the most to earn my respect and attention. She did everything to win me back as a mother," Venus continued. She sighed and sat down by Reyna. "The Sixth Legion is seen as a sign of disrespect. They do not go to one of the two camps, like we want them to. So, we treat them terribly, like outcasts."

Reyna didn't really know what to say. She was sure there was more Venus wanted to say, and she didn't want to interrupt. Venus sighed and looked around. Her gaze focused on Aquitaine, who was now being examined by Avaris.

"The Olympians are selfish in their ways," Venus said. She looked back at Reyna. "We have our beliefs and refuse to budge from them. Jupiter believes you are dangerous and must be put down. He is going to lock you into this camp, until he has gathered all the Olympians for a meeting."

"He'll punish me and make me into an example," Reyna guessed. She shrugged. "I shouldn't be surprised. I knew it was coming. Most of the Olympians have been against me, and it only got worse when I killed the two Hunters. It's time to face the consequences."

"Jupiter's punishment will not be kind. He will strip you of any power you have, your legion, your belonging, and your freedom. He will have you trapped in some type of prison. Jupiter is going to call for you in ten minutes, after he is done talking to Lupa."

"Lupa? Where was she?" Reyna asked. Lupa had been missing in action for awhile. There was no telling whether the wolf goddess had been in trouble or was just prowling around and doing her thing.

"Lupa was in Rome," Venus answered. She stood and looked around one more time. Her gaze focused on Aquitaine, who had both hands to her leg and a very pained look on her face "That is the only thing I know about it. Lupa wasn't willing to share any details, even with Jupiter."

The tent flap opened again. Reyna looked up and saw her mother. Bellona walked right towards her and grabbed her by her arm. She pulled her to her feet, and Reyna bit her lip. She refused to cry out in pain, and her mother wouldn't care if she did.

"Let's go," Bellona said. Her voice was emotionless, and her face was set in a scowl. Bellona was putting up a front that she didn't care. Well, Reyna hoped it was just a front. There was no telling with the goddess of war though.

"Where are you going?" Arcadia demanded as she stood. As Arcadia went to walk forward, Venus grabbed her arm. Venus whispered something into Arcadia's ear and then shoved her onto an empty bed. Reyna bit her lip and was dragged outside of the tent.

"Zeus wants to see you on Mount Olympus," Artemis said. There was a smug smirk on her face. Artemis looked back towards the group of Romans and Greeks. They were ordering demititans around, and it looked like the demititans were nothing more than glorified guards.

"I sent the Amazons back to their base, other than your sister," Athena said. "Hylla must be talked to about stealing Mars shield. Everyone must pay for what they have done."

"Hylla was under the effects of charmspeak," Reyna protested. She looked around for her sister. Hylla was leaning on a tree with crossed arms. Venus walked past Reyna and made her way towards Hylla. "There's no way she can be held accountable for what she did."

"She shouldn't have gone to Circe in the first place," Bellona said. Reyna stared up at her mother. How could Bellona treat her children like they were nothing? Did Reyna do the same to people around her? "Venus will lead your sister to Mount Olympus, and she even volunteered to speak for her."

"After my sister is put on her trial, it will be time for the real show, right?" Reyna questioned. "Why don't you just have Jupiter come down and give me the punishment now. If anything goes wrong, I can always save his ass again."

From the look on Artemis' face, it was the wrong thing to say. Reyna didn't care though. She had been to Olympus once before, and that was to save Jupiter from Ouranos. While Jupiter stayed holed up in Olympus, she had destroyed Ouranos, Metis, and Thoon.

"If Jupiter is going to punish my sister for stealing the shield while under the effects of charmspeak, I guess Jason will be on trial right after. Even though he had been charmspeaked, he did try to kill his father, didn't he?" Reyna asked. Artemis glared and took a step towards her.

"Stop talking," Bellona ordered. She dragged Reyna away from the two goddesses. Bellona didn't say another else, and she didn't bat an eye. Reyna groaned as she was shoved towards a tree. A figure moved from the shadows, and it took Reyna a few moments to look at Lupa.

The wolf goddess stared at her for a long moment. She then looked at Bellona and growled. Bellona nodded and walked away from them. Reyna slowly looked at Lupa and tried to ignore the fact that she was probably in huge trouble.

"Let us go," Lupa said. She reached a paw up and rested it on Reyna's shoulder. If it wasn't for Reyna's armor, claws would have dug into her shoulder and probably down to the bone. As Reyna blinked, she found herself into another place. Her eyes widened at her surroundings.

Lupa backed away and walked into the wolf house. Reyna blinked a few times and slowly walked inside. As they made it into the inner room, Lupa settled into her usual spot. Reyna walked towards her and stopped a few feet in front of the goddess.

"This isn't Olympus," Reyna began. Lupa chuckled and rested her head on her paws. Reyna looked at the goddess and then looked around. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Why did you come here in the first place?" Lupa asked. Reyna stared at her in confusion. She looked around the room and tried to think back. It felt like centuries since she had first found the wolf house. Reyna bit her lip as she thought.

"I was trying to find a home," Reyna finally answered. "Circe's spa was destroyed. Hylla had gone to the Amazons. I was alone, and I wanted a purpose."

"Why are you here now?" Lupa questioned. Reyna looked down and tried to think. The easy answer was because Lupa had taken her there. That wasn't the point that Lupa wanted to get across though. Reyna debated sitting down, but she didn't think she would be able to stand again if she did.

"I don't know," Reyna finally answered. "With this past month, I've just been doing my best to stay alive and keep the world from being destroyed. I don't really know what I'm doing now though. I'll probably be dealing with whatever punishment Jupiter gives me."

"Is that what you're going to do?" Lupa asked. She closed her eyes and seemed to relax. Reyna knew that Lupa was completely aware of everything that was happening. "Are you simply going to listen to Jupiter and allow him to inflict whatever punishment he pleases on you?"

"Are you telling me to walk into Olympus and rebel?" Reyna questioned. She was completely confused. Lupa huffed and remained silent. "I know you're a lone wolf, but that's not something I can do. Jupiter would take his anger out on my sister."

"You have a choice, imperator," Lupa said. She opened both eyes and stood. Lupa walked towards Reyna and looked down at her. "The Olympians have already declared you an enemy of Olympus. Jupiter clearly has vengeance on his mind, but you don't have to follow his whims."

"If I don't, what will happen?" Reyna asked. She looked down and reached a hand into her pocket. Her fingers brushed her father's dog tags. She had kept them in her pocket ever since receiving them from her mother. In Hades, her father had told her allow being a Roman to guide her. What did that mean to her though?

Before, it would have meant staying at Camp Jupiter and doing everything in her power to protect it. Now, she was exiled from her home. She didn't have anyone to protect, besides the Sixth Legion. Reyna looked up at Lupa.

"When you killed your father, you did it to protect your sister. If I did not think you were worthy of Camp Jupiter, I would have thrown you to my wolves. Camp Jupiter should not have exiled you, and I do not want to lose you as an asset," Lupa said. "You met a barbarian who posed as a Speculatores."

"We should have know she wasn't a real Speculatores," Reyna muttered. She winced at the pain in her back and at the memory of what Boudica had done to her. Reyna glared at the ground. "From what I know, Boudica was killed."

"It would seem I have a vacancy at the position of Speculatores," Lupa said with a wolf's grin. "Reyna, I don't know where you will go, but I know you still want to protect Camp Jupiter. That's why I want to offer you the position of a Speculatores. You would report any threats to Camp Jupiter back to me, if and whenever you wanted to."

"Wouldn't that get you in trouble with the Olympians?" Reyna questioned. With everything that had happened, she was angry at a lot of the immortals. Lupa was not one of them. The wolf goddess had done nothing bad to Reyna. The last thing she wanted was to get Lupa in trouble.

"A Speculatores is simply a demigod or mortal that has proven themselves to be extremely efficient and talented. The title is simply just a title. You are not required to ever report news to me or even see me again. All I can do is ask," Lupa explained. "I know talent when I see it, and you should not be hampered by the Olympians. As you said, I am a lone wolf. Their approval means nothing to me."

"Going against the Olympians is the opposite of everything you taught me," Reyna argued. "You always told me I should do everything to protect my family; they're my pack. The pack has to be protected at all costs."

"I think you found the most important question," Lupa commented. "After everything that has happened, who is your family? Being attacked by your sister, having your patricide revealed, and the appearance of the Sixth Legion has changed all of your relationships. You must ask yourself who you want to have in your pack. Who deserves your protection?"

Reyna looked down. Lupa walked past her and brushed against her. Reyna blinked and found herself outside of the Empire State Building. A glance back showed that Lupa was walking away.

"Wait," Reyna said. Lupa stopped but didn't turn around. "I don't know who my pack is. I want to go back to Camp Jupiter. I want to be friends with everyone again. I want to go back to how everything was before the rogue Amazons attack, but I can't."

The words hurt to say. Reyna knew she couldn't go back to her old life, no matter how much she wanted to. Everything had changed, and she had changed as well. Reyna sighed and rubbed her face. Upon looking back up, Lupa was facing her.

"The hardest part is letting go," Lupa said. "But, you can still protect Camp Jupiter. You can keep it from threats. That is why I offered you the position of Speculatores. And, we both know there is another threat coming."

"There's always another threat," Reyna muttered. She looked at the Empire State Building. "It's a never ending cycle. There is always another threat to the Olympians. I'm tired of helping them and getting nothing in return. I'm not asking for all the riches in the world. I just want forgiveness."

"Jupiter finds it hard to forgive, even if he should," Lupa said. She walked towards Reyna and stopped in front of her. The two met eyes. "From everything I have heard, I do not think this new threat is after the Olympians. I believe they are focused on demigods."

Reyna nodded and felt the air shift. A glance up showed that a storm was starting to brew. Lupa growled, and her fur raised. Lupa spoke, "Jupiter grows impatient. We will speak later, Reyna."

Reyna turned towards the Empire State Building and placed a hand on the door. She didn't have to go inside and just follow Jupiters' whim. Reyna took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Upon stepping inside, she found herself in an empty lobby.

Her right hand brushed against Kronos' blade. It was something Jupiter would want back. He wouldn't want a god killer to be in Reyna's hands. Reyna sighed and reached into her pocket to pull out Rhea's ring.

Reyna pressed the elevator button and waited for the doors to open. She stepped inside and stared down at the ring. After a few moments, she unhooked Kronos' blade from her belt and stared at it as well. Reyna had done terrible things when she was under the influence of Kronos, and a small part of her had enjoyed it. Looking at Rhea's ring made her think of all the things she had lost.

The elevator doors started to close. Without thinking, Reyna reached a hand out to stop the doors. She watched the door open, and a shaky breath left her. Reyna dropped Kronos' blade on the elevator floor. Rhea's ring was dropped by the blade a moment later.

Reyna pressed the button for Olympus. Before the elevator doors closed, she stepped out. She knew who her pack was, and it wasn't the Olympians. It wasn't Camp Jupiter or Camp Half-Blood, not anymore. Reyna looked back at the elevator. Then, she turned and walked out of the Empire State Building.


	62. Something Wicked This Way Comes

**There is only a few more chapters left in this story. Thank you for all of the support.**

* * *

Peace was something that Eirene knew well, considering she was the goddess of it, but this was not a time of peace. This was a time of war, death, and chaos. It was hard to identify one particular perpetrator of this war; however, it always linked back to the same source: the Olympians.

Where there was Olympians, there was war. There could never be peace, so it was odd that she found herself standing in the throne room of Olympus. Eirene turned her head to look at Zeus. The king of the Olympians was sitting on his throne and staring down at the demigod in front of him.

The demigod had black eyes that didn't show her emotions, but Eirene wondered if the demigod felt any fear. She had to know that she was in serious trouble, since Zeus needed to have someone to take his anger out on. The demigod's mother stood on Eirene's left, and she wasn't showing any emotion either.

"Where is your sister?" Zeus demanded. The demigod looked up and remained silent. There was a confident defiance to her. Whatever punishment she face, she would be ready to meet it. The demigod was a good warrior, which was probably why she was queen of the Amazons.

"I don't know," the queen of the Amazons finally answered. "When I last saw Reyna, she was walking away with Lupa. I was dragged here before I could do anything else. So, can we get on with this charade already?"

Zeus glared. His day had to be terrible. He couldn't make an example of the one demigod that he had been eyeing for a long time. How terrible was it that he couldn't ruin someone's life? What would he do with himself?

"You stole Ares' shield and started all of this chaos," Zeus hissed. Eirene glanced at Bellona. The goddess of war showed no emotion. Did she not care that her eldest daughter was being blamed for something that was not her fault? The girl had been charmspeaked into stealing the shield, and it had to be a rather impressive theft to have taken place on Mount Olympus with no one knowing who had done it.

"Hylla was not in full control of herself," Aphrodite interrupted. There was a different fire in the love goddess' eyes. She seemed determined to do something, but Eirene was unsure of what that was. Aphrodite received the attention of everyone in the room, which was no surprise. "Under the effects of charmspeak, mortals do terrible things, even if they don't want to."

"She stole my shield," Ares protested, like a child. Eirene resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Ares represented everything that was wrong with the world. He loved violence, war, and everything senseless. "There has to be some punishment for that, right?"

"No," Aphrodite answered. "When we were at the camp, Reyna brought up an interesting point. Jason Grace had also been under Circe's charmspeak, and he marched right here to Olympus to destroy you, Zeus. What will Jason's punishment be?"

Zeus' mood visibly darkened, and he did not respond. It was like he didn't want to be humbled. Zeus finally looked at Hylla and studied her for a long time. One finger started to tap against his throne, as if he was debating smiting her right then and there.

"Leave," Zeus ordered. Hylla nodded once and turned away. "Amazon, you are not to bother the Hunters or my daughter again. You will go back to your base, and when Camp Jupiter or Camp Half-Blood needs something from you, it will be provided. Is that understood?"

Hylla stopped walking and didn't respond. The queen of the Amazons finally turned back around. There was no fear on her face, like there was no fear in her when she won her position as queen. A small smirk came to Hylla's face, and she left the throne room.

Zeus looked to Eirene. He was fighting a war with himself. Zeus was not use to being defied. Mortals and immortals alike always bent to his will. If they didn't, demigods would be unleashed on them. It happened all the time, in the older days.

Demigods were always causing war. It caused Eirene's skin to crawl. Eirene took a deep breath and looked around the throne room. Athena met her eyes. The goddess of wisdom was holding Kronos' sword, and the ring that had been laying by it.

Athena had been the one assigned to guard the elevator. Was it possible that the mighty Zeus was scared that the reaper would take Kronos' sword and destroy him with it? Of course, mighty, bold Zeus would never fear a demigod, even if they had proven extremely resilient and had already taken out a few immortals.

When the elevator had opened, there had been a lonely sword and ring. Rhea, the original owner of the ring, was still staring at it. She couldn't seem to come to terms that Reyna no longer desired to be her champion. The only question was where did Reyna go?

This wasn't an outcome that Eirene had seen coming. Truly. She, like everyone else, expected the good little Roman to go to Olympus and face her punishment. Reyna would get closer to the two camps that had turned their backs on her, but it was better for everyone this way.

"Reyna must be punished for what she did," Artemis said. Eirene focused on the goddess of the hunt. Artemis had lost two hunters to Reyna, and the goddess had wanted to make the reaper's life a living hell, of course.

"Why?" Eirene asked. Everyone turned to look at her. "This reaper, Reyna, is not here. She understands that it would not have been a fair trial. I have not been following the events of this war, but isn't she better off left alone? I think we should give the girl a clean slate and let her be."

"Who are you to say we should give her a clean slate?" Artemis demanded. She had the same temper as her lieutenant: Thalia Grace. Since the two were always together, it made sense. Eirene was ready to step forward, but Aphrodite beat her to the punch.

"Reyna is a polarizing figure. She has done terrible things. Some of it was with Kronos controlling half of her soul. The other was just Reyna, but everyone here seems to forget everything that happened before Ouranos was destroyed," Aphrodite said. "Sins do not wiped away all the good someone has done, and Reyna has done a plethora of good. I say we give the reaper a clean slate. After all Zeus, she did save you from destruction at the hands of your son and Ouranos."

"Enough," Zeus snapped. "I will decide what I want to do with the reaper. Until then, you all have your assignments. Now, I want Kronos' sword to be put somewhere safe where it cannot harm anyone. It is time to put the sword in the right hands. Eirene, will you get that thing out of my sight?"

Eirene blinked in surprise, but she nodded. She walked towards Athena and was handed Kronos' sword. It was a very evil thing. The owner was a warmonger who wanted nothing but death and destruction. She examined the golden ichor on the sword. No one had cleaned it off.

"I will keep it in the right hands," Eirene promised. Zeus nodded to her. He trusted such a powerful item in the hands of peace. Eirene looked around the throne room, and she stepped away from the crowd. She followed along the wall to the exit of Olympus. No one stopped her.

All of the Olympians, minus Ares, liked and respected Eirene. They knew what her presence meant. Eirene looked at the door of Olympus and smiled. After a moment, she was back in her temple. Her eyes moved around to focus on the mortal that was attempting clean away the blood that had been left behind by Metis and Reyna.

It had been quite a bloody scene, and Eirene remembered it quite well. The demigod had been unconscious and pinned to the statue by Metis. The Titaness had been chanting something. Eirene assumed it was some kind of Titan curse, but she really didn't know. Metis' cursing had been interrupted by Kronos' sword meeting her flesh and decapitating her.

Eirene had been a witness to the entire thing. She had not laid a hand on Metis. That was Eris' job. Eirene did tell Metis that the temple would be empty though. She had no problem with lying, especially if it meant allowing the opportunity to destroy Metis.

No one knew a thing about what had happened at the temple. Everyone thought that Reyna had destroyed Metis. No one would ever know that it was actually Eris who had done the deed. They would never know the truth. They couldn't.

Eirene walked towards the mortal. For being eighteen years old, the mortal was smart and matured beyond her years. She had been on the streets since she was a child, as a monster had killed her parents. It was a terrible freak accident; that couldn't happen again. The mortal's parents had just been caught in the crossfire of a demigod and monster.

"What did they do with the queen of the Amazons?" the mortal asked. She had the intelligence of a child of Athena, with the ruthlessness of a child of Ares. Her name didn't matter, as her deeds would be what was recorded in the history books.

"They let her go," Eirene answered. She placed a hand on the mortals shoulder. "That makes your job all the more important. The sight that you were given is what will give you an edge. I know I chose the right person."

"I will not disappoint you," the mortal promised. She finished cleaning up the mess and walked towards a corner of the room. Eirene followed her and pressed a hand to the wall. It only took one moment for the wall to open, and both walked through it.

Eirene looked around the large room that they found themselves in. It was covered in desks, books, and laptops. Numerous photos were plastered on the walls, and the room looked absolutely chaotic. Everyone knew what they needed to do though. Over the past month, there had been so much research put in.

The mortal walked to an empty desk and sat down. She went back to studying the history and routines of the group that she would destroy. Eirene could not take any chances. She felt a presence behind her and turned to look at Eris.

"There's a rumor going around that the reaper decided to do a no show on Olympus," Eris said. She grinned. "Please, I beg that you tell me it wasn't just a rumor. Is it true? Did Zeus blow his load? Did he throw a giant temper tantrum in front of the other Olympians?"

Eirene smiled and didn't respond. Eris made a good lieutenant. No one suspected that they would work together, and the goddess was an absolute psychopath. Eirene handed over Kronos' evil tool and spoke, "Put it somewhere safe. I don't want to see it again, until we need it."

"Of course," Eris whispered. She grabbed the weapon and turned away. Eirene closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her entire existence had been spent watching wars. It was time for the wars to end. To do that, Eirene had to find the source of the wars.

It had taken her a long time to find the cause. She always thought that it was because of the immortals. They always had problems with each other and were always lashing out at each other or other mortals. It became a real problem during the high times of Greece and Rome, and it only got worse from there.

The world wars were Eirene's breaking point. She could not stand to watch countries turn on each other. It hurt to see so many mortals killed for something so silly. The Olympians had taken sides and only fueled the fury. The wars would not have been as had as they were, if it was not for the demigods.

That led Eirene to her most important conclusion: demigods were the problem. The Olympians were useless without the demigods to take out lesser threats and do their bidding. Without demigods, the world would be at a final peace. That was what Eirene desired.

Of course, every demigod was not at fault, but they still had to die. Demigods were the harbingers of so much pain and destruction, even if they didn't mean to be. For peace, there had to be a great cleansing. That cleansing would began soon. Eirene just needed to finalize her plans.

"Were you able to contact that general?" Eirene asked. It was a story that just broke her heart. A powerful demigod was betrayed and slaughtered by her own brethren, in a time that did not treat women well. The general had to hide her true self from the world, and when she did try to show a true part of herself, it led to her destruction.

"I don't know," Eris answered. "I went to that place, but the thing refused to appear. I still talked about your plan, of course. There is just no way of knowing if it was listening. And, I don't know if we can really trust the general to help us."

Eirene sighed and shook her head. It was no surprise that Eris couldn't open her mind. The goddess just didn't understand how to trust or even think with her head. It was a good thing that she didn't need Eris to think. The brute just had to follow directions.

Eirene turned to look at the wall of pictures. Each pictured represented one of their targets. Each target was seen as a leader, and they had to be taken out within the same window of time. The targets were all leaders of their groups; therefore, they were the heads of the snakes. When one cut of the head of the snake, the body died.

A small smile came to Eirene's face. She did not like the idea of war. That was why this would not be a war. It would be a slaughter. The leaders would be killed, and sooner or later, the rest of the demigods would turn on each other and eradicate themselves. Of course, things were complicated by the Sixth Legion.

Hopefully, they would stay in Rome. If not, Eirene would have to turn the other demigods against them. Something told her that it wouldn't be too hard though. Everyone hated Reyna, so they would be willing to believe any lie that the goddess of peace would put forward. Eirene couldn't take any chances though. There had to be peace, one way or another.


	63. We Happy Few

Clarisse leaned on a tree and looked down at the ashes of Camp Half-Blood. It seemed like almost everything had been burnt to the ground, besides the Big House and a few other areas, including the pavilion. Her eyes moved towards the Greeks that were slowing picking their way through the ashes.

They were distraught that their home had been destroyed. It had been taken from them and burned to ash, just like Camp Jupiter. The Romans were standing near Clarisse, unsure if they should go down to meet with the Greeks. Clarisse motioned for them to, so they could get away from her.

All of the injured were camped a few miles away, near the Sixth Legion and the demititans. Hylla had already ordered her Amazons to leave, and the Amazons from Greece had left with them. The Huns were a more gruesome story. They had either been killed in fighting or dropped all weapons before walking into the Greek fire, never to be seen again. It was a beautiful and horrific way to go.

Clarisse examined Camp Half-Blood again. She should have been upset that a place she considered home had been burned to the ground, and part of her was upset and saddened. The other part knew they deserved it. The Greeks had gotten comfortable and soft behind their camp. It was probably also karma for all of the things they had done to Reyna, the demititans, and everyone else they had ever hurt.

"Is it wrong that this feels kind of nice," Sarah asked. Clarisse turned her head and looked at the demititan in surprise. Sarah slowly looked at her. The demititan held anger and hatred in her eyes. "The Greeks have kicked others out of their home and acted as if they are the rulers of everything. It feels so wrong but so right to be happy about this."

"You were always the least bitter of the demititans," Clarisse commented. She turned away from Camp Half-Blood and led Sarah back towards the demititan camp. They walked in silence for a few minutes. Greeks were still heading the opposite way towards Camp Half-Blood. "It always hurts to lose someone you love. It can change you."

"You lost your boyfriend, right?" Sarah asked. She looked up at Clarisse. The daughter of Ares looked away. "Annabeth didn't tell you what had happened to him. It's like she doesn't care about anyone that isn't one of her friends or family."

"I know," Clarisse muttered. The rest of the walk was in silence, until they made it to the clearing that the camp been in. Clarisse blinked and looked around. The tents were all gone, and the only one still in the clearing was Arcadia. "Where did everyone go?"

"The demititans went back to what we do best," Sarah answered. "We're going to scour the United States to find more demititans and bring them back to a new base. Then, we'll elect leaders and prepare for what's going to happen."

"What do you mean?" Clarisse asked. She looked around the clearing again and frowned. "You aren't going to attempt to go to the war with the camps, right? I can't support you guys then. I won't even let you leave this clearing alive."

"Red attacked me and almost killed me. She told me that a revolution was coming. All I know is that her mother, Eris, wants to correct what she called injustices in the world. Eris talked about those who were seen as leaders would be taken out, after Metis was defeated."

"The imperator also told me that Annabeth Chase had been influenced by Eris, to reveal the imperator's patricide, It seems like Eris has been causing disputes wherever she can" Arcadia added. "There is something else. The imperator was approached by someone who was using one of Kronos' old devices to freeze time. The device sounds like one of the devices that were left behind in the world, as the old ones outgrew them. It would be like if Zeus decided to toss away his lightning bolt, since he could just create lightning by hand."

"Any mortal could pick it up and just go crazy with it?" Clarisse assumed. Arcadia nodded. Clarisse took a moment to try and process all of the information that she had learned. "What does this have to do with me?"

"The creature also mentioned a great cleansing, which I assume is what the revolution will be," Arcadia replied. "The imperator was told that she led the creature to someone that would unleash warriors that had been locked away. I don't know anything about these warriors though."

"Are you trying to tell me that all of the leaders of the groups are going to be killed, at the same time?" Clarisse asked. "And, it's going to be by these weird warriors that were locked away? You can't expect me to believe that. There is no way that someone can take out all of the leaders at once."

"If you can get the Greek and Roman leaders out of their camp, it's not impossible," Sarah argued. "Anyone can challenge Queen Hylla, and the demititans don't really hole up anywhere. Hunters are always camping in the wilderness, so that leaves us with the two camps."

"If there was an attack today, the leaders would be destroyed. They have no protection," Arcadia stated. "If it happens later, it would be an assault on the camps. The Labyrinth could be used as an entry point. It would be harder for an assassination, but it could happen."

"Camp Half-Blood doesn't have a lot of demigods there during school. Most of us are out learning. That would be the time to strike, if you could draw out Camp Jupiter's praetors," Clarisse muttered. :It would be perfect time for one fell swoop, if this is all true."

"Moles work wonders when it comes to following the movements of praetors and drawing them out," Arcadia commented. "Other than Eris, we do not know who this new threat is. I doubt that Eris is the ringleader, so who is? Who would want to decimate the demigods?"

Other than monsters, Clarisse didn't have an answer to that. She didn't know if she even believed the two of them. Granted, she had seen what happened when they didn't trust Reyna. Was it possible that this would be another plot they had to stop?

"There is one more thing," Arcadia said. "The imperator does not remember what happened with Metis. When I walked in, the imperator was unconscious and had Kronos' sword near her right hand. Metis was decapitated and looked to be destroyed by Reyna. I don't believe it."

"It doesn't add up," Arcadia continued. "Reyna told me she can barely grab a sword using her right hand, let alone use it to decapitate an immortal. There was no way she could have decapitated Metis, especially if she was falling unconscious or being attacked in another way that would incapacitate her. I think someone else destroyed Metis."

Clarisse closed her eyes and rubbed her face. How were they suppose to put together all of the puzzle pieces when they didn't know the final picture? She spoke, "I'm guessing I can't tell anyone, right?"

"We don't know who is arranging this, so we don't know who to trust. Only a few of us know about this," Sarah responded. She leaned on a tree. "I can't tell anyone in the demititans, especially since Red attacked me. There is no way for us to keep an eye on Camp Half-Blood and protect them. That's where you come in."

"You want me to keep an eye on the leaders and spy on them?" Clarisse questioned. "How do I know that the Sixth Legion isn't the one planning this? I recall you guys declared war on Camp Jupiter. You also have a lot of anger to take out on the other demigods. How do I know this isn't an elaborate scheme."

"I wouldn't waste my time with this. I would have just slaughtered you, when we met during the fire," Arcadia answered. "But, it is your decision to trust us. I'm not going to try and convince you otherwise. You and you alone can make the choice of who you want to trust."

Clarisse watched the goddess and appreciated the answer. There was no lying or deceiving. Arcadia was telling the honest truth, and that was something Clarisse appreciated. She crossed her arms and thought about her current position.

If the threat was real, it could happen at any moment. That made it almost impossible to combat. It would be an interesting challenge. She just wouldn't be able to tell anyone about it. Clarisse spoke, "I'm in. You know what happens if you try to screw me, right?"

"We won't try," Sarah promised. She rubbed her neck. "We'll have to find a way to stay in contact with each other. I'm going to keep an ear to the ground and see what I can dig up. Until then, I'll see you two later."

Sarah turned and walked away. She disappeared from sight a few moments later. Clarisse turned back towards Arcadia. The two studied each other. Arcadia tossed an item towards Clarisse and spoke, "We are heading back to Rome to heal. If you need me, you can use that."

Clarisse moved the dagger around in her hand. She slowly pulled it out of its case and stared at her reflection. There was a small symbol on the hilt that Clarisse couldn't make out. She ran a thumb over it, and the symbol moved into the hilt.

"Just press that and say my name. It will take a moment, but I will be there," Arcadia explained. "It is not a gift I hand out lightly. Do not abuse it."

"I'm not a child," Clarisse said. She crossed her arms and rubbed the dagger. Part of her wondered if it would be a good weapon. She slipped the dagger into her pocket and nodded to Arcadia. Then, Clarisse turned and walked back towards Camp Half-Blood.

Trying to protect all of the leaders would be a monumental challenge, and Clarisse didn't know how they would do it. There would be some losses. There was no avoiding that. All they could do was minimize the casualties. When would the attack be though?

And, why would they take every leader out at once? It would make more sense to strike when they were weak and scattered, unless this person didn't want a war. They wanted a quick strike that would take out the leaders and leave the other directionless and easy for slaughter.

This person seemed like they wanted to stay out of the light. They didn't want anyone to know who they were, so who would be too much of a coward to take credit for the attack? Were they scared of the consequences? Clarisse heard movement behind her and quickly turned. The leader of the damned watched her.

"Discordia approached me and told me that they will kill the leaders. She wanted me to kill all of the leaders of something called Camp Half-Blood. Discordia seems to think I would work with her. She told me there would be a funeral that Pax was holding for all of the demigods that had died. The plan was for me to use my powers to raise the dead and use them to kill the demigods."

"Will you?" Clarisse asked. She instantly placed her sword to the general's neck. The general blinked and disappeared. Clarisse turned and found the general a few feet away. "That was unfair, general. Are you scared of what I'll do to you?"

"I am a Roman, and I will protect Rome," the general answered. It clearly hurt to speak. "That is why I told you of Discordia's plan. I must go now, being away from my territory is draining."

"Who are you?" Clarisse asked. The general looked at her. "You showed up to help us. Why?"

"I have spent a very long time pacing the same patch of earth in anger and confusion. I have recruited many to my cause. There came a time when I could cross the invisible boundary that kept me imprisoned. I wandered and finally felt a familiar presence of war. When I saw two of my sisters in danger, I acted," the general answered. The ash faded away before slowly forming again.

"Go," Clarisse ordered. She knew that the general was weak and couldn't stay formed for long. The general nodded once and disappeared into ash. Clarisse was left alone. The daughter of Ares walked back to Camp Half-Blood.

The first place she went to was her destroyed cabin. They would rebuild the Ares cabin and make it look better than ever before. They would need a lot more barbed wire. Footstep interrupted her thoughts. Clarisse turned to look at Annabeth.

"I am sorry about Chris. We should have told you. I should have told you," Annabeth said. She looked away. "I didn't mean to keep anything from you."

"You did though," Clarisse said. She shook her head. "Now is not the time for this conversation. We have to be united for everyone. We can have our yelling match after this camp is rebuilt and protected. Got any plans for that, Wise Girl?"

Annabeth smiled slightly. She spoke, "I heard that something happened on Olympus a few hour ago, when Reyna was called to Olympus. Chiron will not say what. He wants lookouts at every entrance to the camp. Is the Sixth Legion still in the clearing?"

"No," Clarisse replied. "Sarah and I were talking about where the demititans would go, and when we made it to the clearing, it was empty. I guess they packed up and went to Rome. It's probably for the best."

Annabeth nodded but didn't look convinced. The daughter of Athena turned and walked towards another cabin. She seemed freaked out by the Sixth Legion. Did Annabeth, once again, know something important that Clarisse didn't? If she did, that was okay. Clarisse was holding a big secret from the rest of the Greeks, and she wasn't going to share it anytime soon.


	64. Cura Te Ipsum

For Hylla, it was good to be back home, especially after everything that had happened. It was even better to be back in her office chair, where she could spin around whenever she was alone.

At the moment, she was not alone. She was surrounded by her most senior Amazons and Kinzie.

"We have received about ten letter from Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter over the past week," one of the Amazons reported. They were all glancing around like they knew something that Hylla didn't. It made Hylla suspicious. She trusted all of the Amazons in the room, but it would be a great time to dethrone her from power.

"Did you do as I instructed?" Hylla questioned. She glanced to her right to see Kinzie looking through a couple of files. Kinzie was looking over some of the troublesome Amazons to see if they would be exiled or kept. There was a lot of internal cleaning that needed to be done.

"The letters have made good fuel to the bonfire," the Amazon answered. She was the eldest there and went by the name of Alkaia. No one knew if it was her birth name or a self given name. "Though, I'm not sure how comfortable I am with sending a letter to the camps that tells them to go to hell, among other things. I don't think that it is the wisest idea."

"I know," Hylla muttered. She cleared her throat. "We will continue to ignore their letters, but I will save them, in case we need them for the future. What is the status on that thing that wanted to meet us?"

"He's waiting outside the building," Kinzie answered. She looked at Hylla. "I figured it wouldn't be a good idea to have him mix with the other Amazons, even with all of the knowledge that he has. Should I go get him?"

Hylla nodded. She leaned back in her seat, and Kinzie left the room. Hylla moved her hand to her belt and rested her fingertips on her knife. If there was a time that the Amazons would betray her, it was now. She studied each of the Amazons and watched them for any sign of movement.

"Queen Hylla, where do we go from here?" another Amazon, Philippis, asked. She looked up from her nails and leaned on one of the bookshelves. "Those Amazons from Greece are hanging out in the building next door, like they want something. What did their leader say to you before she died?"

Hylla looked down at her desk. She had carried Adonia away from the fire, and along the way, the Amazon had passed away. Adonia's second in command had wandered over and taken the body. Before Adonia passed, she did share interesting information about a tracker. That was who they were getting ready to meet.

"Well, you all know that she told me about this tracker," Hylla responded. She looked around. "Adonia also told me about an old Amazon base that held what she called old weapons and secrets. Apparently, some ancient Amazons stole some important documents or devices and took them to this old vault. They died with their secret, and the Amazons in Greece never found the vault."

"Why is this vault important?" a third Amazon, Toxis, asked. She glanced around. "It would be cool to see something from history. I think we can all agree on that, but I don't see why she would chose those to be her dying words."

"I agree," Hylla said. "The only way we will know if we find that vault. Adonia was never one to play around, so I think something important is in there. It won't be a priority, but I do want everyone to send feelers out to their contacts. I'll try to speak to Adonia's former second in command and learn what I can."

"Bet it's ancient contraband," one of the younger Amazons, Tara, whispered. The others gave her a half glance and rolled their eyes. "Can you imagine how strong those drugs were? We would have some real fun."

"It would probably kill you," Hylla commented. They heard a knock and all turned. Kinzie stepped into the room leading a man, and Hylla already wanted to roll her eyes. The man must have thought he was someone important, as he was wearing a suit, minus the tie.

"Queen Hylla," the man greeted. He had both hands resting in front of him and seemed to know that any hand movement would get him killed. Hylla stood and walked around him. The man had to be a year or two younger than her, but his eyes held intelligence that was beyond his years.

"Most men who walk through those doors do so in chains," Hylla said. She stopped in front of the man and stared him down. He didn't seem intimidated. "I was told that you had gone all the way to Greece to speak to the Amazons there, only to find that most of them had gone to America. You tracked down the remaining ones to send a message to their leader. Why?"

"A lot of minor gods have been moving around," the man answered. "This isn't just the normal immortal movement either. They've been gathered in places, learning about their history and asking the locals about what had been there so many years ago. As far as my experience is concerned, the gods don't really care about stuff like this."

"This hardly seems worth my time," Hylla said. She turned away and walked back towards her seat. "I'm debating having you killed for wasting so much Amazon time."

"The minor gods are going to rebel," the man said quickly. Hylla slowly turned to look back at him. She sat back down and motioned for him to continue. "The minor gods never care about mortals or their history, but I've overheard some of their conversations. They seemed extremely interested in how things were before the Olympians."

"From the things I've seen, the minor gods are romanticizing the past, before the Olympians ruled or ruined anything. The minor gods seem to think things would be better if they ruled. There's a shift out there in the world that no one else can really see. I think something is going to happen."

"Why go to the Amazons in Greece?" Toxis questioned. "They probably would have killed you before you could even speak. The bulk of the demigods are here in America. I don't get it, and I implore with Queen Hylla that we just kill you now."

"It wasn't safe for a lone demigod in America," the man explained. "Monsters were everywhere, and they were all gathering for something. I sent a message to both of the camps, and when I didn't get a reply, I decided I needed to find the real firepower."

"Woah. Hold up," Tara interrupted. "You really think that those Amazons in Greece were the real firepower? Dude, what is up with you? Can we kill this idiot?"

"I needed protection to get to Rome, so I could attempt to find the Sixth Legion. I knew they had a god there, who could get me in direct contact with Olympus. I've been playing a wild goose chase trying to let someone know about this. Something big is coming."

Hylla watched the man in front of her. Truthfully, she didn't really care if there was a revolution. Who cared what happened to the Olympians? Her time had been wasted as well, so she considered killing the man. Hylla leaned back.

"Beat the shit out of him and get him out of my sight," Hylla ordered. The man tried to speak, but Toxis punched him in the gut and shoved him to the ground. It wasn't long before the rest of the Amazons joined in the beating, except Kinzie.

"Annabeth Chase was in the lobby and wanted to speak to you," Kinzie said. Hylla slowly looked up at her girlfriend. She debated on how she would kick Annabeth out. Would it be easiest to send the two largest Amazons to do the job or just wait till Annabeth got the hint and left? "Hylla, you should talk to her."

"Why?" Hylla asked. She closed her eyes and allowed the man's cries of pain to calm her down. "Annabeth has been nothing but a thorn in my side. She got Reyna exiled. I don't see the benefit in talking to her."

Kinzie nodded and pulled Hylla out of the office. She moved closer and spoke, "Hylla, this is not just about you. The decisions you have been making have been for your own, selfish revenge. You have to think of what is best for the Amazons."

Hylla wanted to storm away and not listen to the words, but she knew that Kinzie was telling the truth. The only thing Hylla had been focused on was sticking it to Camp Half-Blood. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Hylla turned and walked towards the front lobby.

When Hylla stepped into the lobby, she found Annabeth sitting in a chair. Annabeth looked at her and slowly stood. This wouldn't end well, especially since Annabeth refused to work with anyone who wasn't a friend. Hylla spoke, "What did you need, daughter of Athena?"

"Queen Hylla, I was asked to come here and see if you received our letters," Annabeth replied. She didn't move any closer. Hylla took a deep breath and leaned on the counter. "There are things we need to talk about."

"I hate you," Hylla stated. "But, Kinzie told me something that I am doing my best to listen to. I need to do what is best for the Amazons. That is why I will hear you out and help Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, but do not think that this even remotely makes us friends. We are business acquaintances."

Annabeth nodded. She spoke, "I understand. Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter will need building materials, weapons, medical supplies, and pretty much everything else, until we can get our footing back. We can pay you in drachmas, money, information, troops, and whatever else you want. Both camps want to meet with you and your Amazons to discuss a deal."

"I'll bring the nerds," Hylla said She meant the term affectionately. The demigods in logistics knew a lot about the numbers behind the Amazons, and they would be able to figure out the cost of everything. Hylla had tried to learn from them, but she always became bored almost instantly.

"We can find a neutral place to meet," Annabeth offered. Hylla shook her head. She took a few moments to swallow down her anger and disgust. Annabeth stayed silent and waited for her.

"We will meet at your camps. My Amazons must assess the damage, so they can give you a more accurate number. Do you need any guards?" Hylla questioned.

"No," Annabeth replied. "The Hunters are going to keep an eye out for us. I do have one more question. Where did Reyna go? We haven't heard or seen anything about her."

"I don't know," Hylla muttered. She looked away. "I haven't seen Reyna, since she left with Lupa. Why do you want her? Haven't you caused enough problems?"

"I'm sorry," Annabeth said. She held up her hands but did not provide an answer. "I will send an Iris message later tonight with a time for us to meet. Is there anytime that works best for you?"

"Whenever," Hylla answered. She looked back at Annabeth and found that she just wanted to punch the daughter of Athena in her smug, little face. Annabeth never listened to anyone she didn't like that could have good information. It was ridiculous, but for now, there was more important things for her to focus on. The most important was solidifying her power in the Amazons.

With everything that had happened, some Amazons had to see her as weak. They were probably already making plans to overthrow her. Hylla would have to play nice with Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter and even get the leaders to like her. If someone was worried about upsetting the two camps, they would think twice before challenging Hylla.

"I will leave you to it," Annabeth finally said. Hylla nodded and watched the daughter of Athena leave. As the front door closed, Hylla heard a noise behind her. She turned and saw two Amazons dragging the man forward.

"Bring him here," Hylla ordered. Her Amazons did as they were told. Hylla knelt in front of the man and roughly grabbed his face. The man pathetically groaned in pain and slowly looked at her. "What is your name?"

"Rollins," the man wheezed. It sounded like he had busted a rib or two. It was a small price to pay for surviving a visit with the queen of the Amazons, especially since the visitor was a male. Hylla tightened her grip and made sure that Rollins had all of his attention on her.

"If you are really serious about this crazy theory, you will tuck your tail between your legs and find the Sixth Legion. I have no clue where they are, but something tells me you have the connections to find them. If you find the Sixth Legion, you are going to tell the imperator about your theory. Your fate will be in her hands," Hylla said. She stood. "Get him out of here."

The Amazons dragged Rollins towards the door and threw him out of the building. Rollins laid on his back for a few moments and finally rolled onto his stomach. He managed to stand, glance back at Hylla, and limp away. Someone grabbed Hylla's shoulder.

"Having fun?" Kinzie asked. Hylla looked at her girlfriend. The light reflected off of something in Kinzie's hand, and Hylla looked down at the object. She stared for a moment. Her mind didn't process what she was looking at.

"We've known each other for years," Kinzie began. "You've had my back through everything, and I want you to have my back till the end of time. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and Hylla Ramirez Arellano, I want you to marry me."

Hylla blinked for a few moments and tried to process the words. She had never thought of marriage or anything beyond simply dating Kinzie. It took her a few moments to look down at her girlfriend then the ring in her hands. After a moment, Hylla kissed Kinzie.

"You know the answer is yes," Hylla whispered. She pulled Kinzie close. "I could never lose you, Kinzie, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you."

Their moment together lasted a few seconds. Then, they were sprayed down by champagne. Amazons seemed to flood the room and smother them with congratulations. Hylla didn't notice anyone else. All of her attention was on the woman she was going to marry. A smile came to Hylla's face. For now, she could relax and focus on her future with Kinzie.


	65. Doom Upon All The World

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* * *

Annabeth stared at the smoke that slowly rose from the ashes of the funeral pyre. Sadness had torn through her chest for the past hour. Now, there was a hollow feeling. They had lost so many people, and it was for stupid, mundane reasons. Annabeth took a deep breath and turned away.

Her gaze focused on the rebuilt Camp Half-Blood. It had taken a week of planning, but the cabin leaders managed to draft a new plan for the camp. The biggest change was making all of the cabins larger. They had also made a cabin for when the demititans and demigods from Camp Jupiter visited.

Even with all of the rebuilding, they were stuck with their barrier problem. Annabeth and Chiron had been working together to come up with a solution. The only thing they could think of was to rotate guards at every entrance to the camp, especially the labyrinth. They would continue to work towards a solution.

The Hunters of Artemis were staying at Camp Half-Blood. They provided extra security, and Camp Half-Blood needed that, especially with the shadow of the Sixth Legion hanging over them. No one knew where the Sixth Legion had gone. Tyre couldn't even find them, despite the fact that he claimed to always know where his sister was.

The disappearance worried Annabeth. She didn't think that the Sixth Legion was in America, which meant that Reyna would not be keeping an eye on her sister. Annabeth remembered what Eirene had showed her. Something would happen to Hylla to cause her to disappear, and Reyna would descend further in madness.

That was part of the reason that Annabeth wanted to rebuild the ties with the Amazons. She had to keep tabs on Hylla. If she couldn't stop the queen of the Amazons from disappearing, she could be close enough to get a head start on the search for her.

Annabeth heard a movement behind her. She turned to look at Eirene. The goddess of peace looked at her and smiled sadly. Her eyes looked even sadder. Eirene spoke, "The funeral went as well as a funeral can go. All those that were lost will be honored."

"Thank you for helping arrange all of this," Annabeth said. Somehow, Eirene had managed to put together funeral rites for Camp Half-Blood, Camp Jupiter, the demititans, and the Huns. She had performed them flawlessly, even though her eyes had seemed to dart around the entire time.

"It was the least I could do," Eirene said. "I knew it would be an event today, but I thought it would go a little differently. It's disappointing to put so much faith in someone and have them let you down. Do you know how that feels, daughter of Athena?"

"I do," Annabeth replied. Her mind instantly went to Reyna. She had put so much faith in the daughter of Bellona, only to be let down. Annabeth shouldn't have been surprised. "Who let you down?"

"I had a grand plan for today," Eirene answered. "I've been working many years to finalize this plan. It requires a very special group of people, but they are stuck at their current position. Fate has seemed to trap them, and they are unable to leave. What do mortal parents call it?"

"Grounded," Annabeth guessed. Eirene gave her a confused look. "When kids are grounded, they can't leave their home. There stuck in their current position, kind of like the people you're talking about. Why are they stuck?"

"Things have a way of catching up to people, and my acquaintances had life catch up to them a long time ago. One of them managed to get past their predicament, but I don't know how. I asked them to do me a very simple favor today. It was something they could do in their sleep. Instead, the gift I gave them was spat back in my face."

"What was the gift?" Annabeth questioned. She also felt at peace with Eirene, which was no surprise. It was also easy to talk to the goddess. That was something that Annabeth was not use to.

"Peace," Eirene answered. She closed her eyes. "There is this problem that has been bothering me for a very long time, and I hoped it would have been solved today. Now, I must wait a little longer. That is okay though. I should have known to not accelerate my plan. I have been patient and must continue to be."

"Can I help?" Annabeth offered. She figured it would be a good thing to get her mind off of everything that had happened. Eirene would probably be the best way to do that. "I'm not sure if I could actually assist you, but it would nice to try."

"I think I can use you," Eirene said. She smiled, and they were both joined by another goddess. Annabeth turned to look at Aphrodite. The goddess of love smiled at both of them and looked around the camp.

"The ceremony is getting ready to start in about thirty minutes," Aphrodite stated. The goddess smiled more, if that was even possible. For some reason, Aphrodite wanted to have a large funeral be immediately followed by a wedding. It wasn't her brightest idea, but Annabeth understood the thought behind it.

Everyone was in a terrible mood from grief and overworking themselves. After the funeral, they would need something to lift their spirits, and to Aphrodite, a wedding would lift everyone's spirits. Except Hylla. The queen of the Amazons wanted to elope or just have a small ceremony at the Amazon base.

"We will head there, soon," Eirene promised. Aphrodite nodded and hurried away. Eirene sighed deeply and looked at Annabeth. "I suppose we should get the wedding. It would not do to be late."

Annabeth nodded and walked with the goddess. It only took Eirene a few moments to drift away and walk towards Clarisse. Annabeth almost wanted to see how that conversation turned out, but someone joined her in walking.

"It's going to be nice to forget about everything that has happened," Piper said. She looked at Annabeth and smiled. "You'll be happy to know that Sally's training is going well. She was able to disarm one of the children of Ares yesterday. Sally still has a long way to go, but everyone is seems to be impressed by her. I know you've been too busy to check in."

"The work should be winding down," Annabeth commented. She had been back and forth between the two camps for the past two weeks. During her absence, it seemed like Clarisse had stepped up and was more involved in the camp. That was a good thing.

"Does that mean you're finally going to visit your cousin?" Piper asked. Annabeth nodded. She had learned information about a part of her family that had completely disappeared. She would probably be leaving that night to find him.

The two passed by a cabin, and Annabeth felt two eyes on her. Someone was watching from the shadows. Annabeth quickly turned her head and found Sarah standing there. The demititan seemed to melt right out of the shadows. Sarah spoke, "Expecting someone else?"

"No. I'm just surprised to see you. I didn't think you were coming," Annabeth began. Sarah had been invited to a few meetings at Camp Half-Blood. The plan was to get the demititans more involved and help them if they needed it. Sarah had always been distracted at the meetings and barely contributed.

"All the bodies from the attack on Fort Sumter were retrieved," Sarah answered. Annabeth opened her mouth, and she quickly closed it. She forgot that Alex had been there. It made complete since that Sarah would want to attend her girlfriend's funeral. A nudge and nod from Piper told Annabeth that the daughter of Aphrodite was going to meet up with Jason. She just nodded and stayed focused on Sarah.

"The other demititan leaders are excited to meet you, when they can," Sarah said. She cleared her throat. "I, uh, guess I'll watching the wedding. I'll be heading back to the demititans, and we'll be off the grid for awhile. If you really need to talk, you can send an Iris message to me."

"What did you do to Thorn?" Annabeth questioned. Sarah looked at her and fell silent. When the Greeks were taking back Camp Half-Blood, Thorn had surrendered to them, and he had been taking by the demititans. She didn't know what had happened to him. "Is he dead?"

"When someone betrays the demititans, they are judged by their peers. They will explain their side, as they are tied to a pole and left defenseless. Every demititan leaves the room and comes back in one by one. If they find the accused guilty, they will cut into them. The accused will be left to bleed," Sarah explained.

Annabeth stared for a few moments. It was a very cruel thing to do. If the accused received too many cuts, they would bleed out. The explanation did spark her curiosity. Annabeth spoke, "When you thought Alex had betrayed the demititans, why didn't she suffer the same fate?"

"We were ready to go to war. If her innocence had not been proven, we would have tracked her down after we dealt with the war, and she would have been judged," Sarah explained. She closed her eyes for a few moments. "Can we stop talking about her?"

"How many people found Thorn guilty?" Annabeth questioned. She had not seen the three demititan leaders, as every demititan but Sarah seemed to keep a low profile. Sarah met her eyes and stared for a long time.

"Enough," Sarah answered. She looked down and then turned away. Sarah walked away without another word, and she disappeared into the crowd of people. Annabeth walked towards the cabin that Hylla was inside. She went to knock, and the door opened in front of her.

"Kinzie, we really need to wait," Hylla said with a laugh. She was giving Kinzie a piggyback ride, and her soon to be wife was kissing her neck. Annabeth felt like she was interrupting something private, and all she wanted to do was walk away. Hylla looked at her and instantly frowned.

"I see you two aren't going by wedding traditions," Annabeth began. Hylla gave her an icy, cold glare. Kinzie jumped off of Hylla and rubbed her back. The two Amazons were in their jumpsuits and looked the part of a power couple.

"I may be a spectacle for everyone, but I'm not going to dress up," Hylla said. She took a step forward. "Do you know what my biggest problem is, Annabeth? I really could deal with everyone watching the wedding. They need to be cheered up. Fine. I can live with that."

"Hylla, why don't we just go back in the cabin," Kinzie began. She had been the peacekeeper anytime Hylla and Annabeth were in the same room. The queen of the Amazons had done a good job keeping a mask on when she was at Camp Half-Blood, but her eyes always gave away her anger. It was clearly just growing inside of her.

"My biggest problem is that my little sister isn't here," Hylla snapped. "My little sister, the only family that I have left, will not be able to see me get married. Since she went to Olympus with Lupa, I haven't even seen her! She just disappeared!"

"I tried to find her," Annabeth began. "I know you wanted Reyna to be here. I also know that we could have put our differences aside, so she could be here. The problem is that no one knows where she is. Reyna disappeared off of the face of the planet."

Part of Annabeth truly regretted what she had done. She was worried that Reyna would kill Hazel and Leo, so she exposed Reyna's patricide to the senate. Annabeth convinced Frank to change his deciding vote by telling him that Reyna was tasked with killing Hazel.

Annabeth didn't remember why she thought getting Reyna exiled would keep her from killing Leo and Hazel. Everything about those few minutes where she told the senate about Reyna's patricide was hazy. It was probably because everything had gone so fast. Annabeth spoke, "I shouldn't have told anyone about her patricide."

"It's a little late for that!" Hylla snapped. She shoved Annabeth backwards. The force of the shove knocked Annabeth right to the ground, It was a month of pent up rage exploding. "You knew what you were doing, Annabeth! Don't act like you actually regret it!"

"Hylla, stop," Kinzie said. She grabbed Hylla and tried to pull her backwards. Hylla simply pulled away, and the rage was clear in her eyes. Annabeth quickly got to her feet. If she had stayed on the ground, Hylla would probably have kicked her teeth down her throat.

"You can't act like you and your friends are above the consequences! If anyone does something you don't like, they are the bad guy! Have you tried looking in the mirror? Maybe, you'll find the real monster of this story," Hylla hissed. Kinzie grabbed Hylla and tried to pull her backwards.

It was clear that Hylla wasn't done yet. She pulled away from Kinzie once again and grabbed Annabeth by her shirt. Hylla spoke, "What have you done, Annabeth? My sister sacrificed everything to save this world, and you act like she was the one trying to destroy it."

Hylla looked like she wanted to say more. Instead, she went to punch Annabeth right in the face. At the last second, a hand caught Hylla's fist. Annabeth slowly looked at the person who had saved her from the punch. She stared for a moment.

Reyna slowly looked back at her and lowered her sister's fist. She spoke, "I think we all just need to calm down and focus on the wedding."

"You're here," Hylla whispered. She pulled her sister into a tight hug. Reyna groaned softly, but she hugged her sister back. Hylla didn't let go for a few, long moments. She finally pulled away. "Where did you go? I've been looking all over for you, and you haven't responded to any of my messages."

Reyna pulled away from her sister and didn't answer. Her eyes seemed to examine Camp Half-Blood. Was she looking at it out of curiosity, or was she looking for weaknesses? Reyna slowly looked back at Hylla and spoke, "Resting. My back put me out of commission for awhile."

"Why didn't you try and get in contact with me?" Hylla asked. She shook her head and took a deep breath. "I was so worried, Reyna. You can't just disappear like that. You skipped out on Olympus, and now, you're standing in the middle of Camp Half-Blood. Zeus is going to kill you."

"I am here to see you get married, and then, I am going to leave," Reyna promised. Her eyes flickered towards Annabeth, and there was something cold and void in Reyna's eyes. How close was she to the insanity that Annabeth had seen? What had Reyna really been doing during the past month?

Hylla opened her mouth, but a hand appeared on her shoulder. Aphrodite stepped in front of them and smiled. The goddess spoke, "The wedding is starting soon. You and Kinzie need to take your places. Reyna, would you like to walk your sister down the aisle?"

"I don't want to cause a riot," Reyna answered. She grabbed Hylla's arm. "Go get ready. I'll find a seat near someone who doesn't hate me. It's your big day. Enjoy it."

After a moment, Hylla nodded. She gently grabbed Kinzie and followed Aphrodite towards the pavilion. That left Reyna and Annabeth alone. Reyna slowly looked at Annabeth.

The daughter of Bellona didn't seem to have any weapons, and she wasn't wearing her armor, unless she was hiding something underneath her long sleeve shirt. Reyna stuck both hands into her shorts and turned away. Annabeth spoke, "Can we talk?"

"No," Reyna answered. She started walking towards the pavilion, without looking back. Annabeth let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. The meeting had gone a lot better than she expected. Someone cleared their throat. Annabeth turned to look at Eirene.

"I apologize for the interruption, but I need help with something, before the wedding begins," Eirene said. Her eyes looked unfocused, and she seemed either excited or extremely worried. Annabeth guessed that it was the appearance of Reyna, so she allowed Eirene to lead her away.

The two walked in silence, until they were away from everyone else. Eirene stayed focused on the ground the entire time. As they made it to the forest, Eirene spoke, "This world has one very big problem that I must solve, if I want peace. I need your help for that, daughter of Athena. Will you help me?"

"What's the problem?" Annabeth asked. They stepped into a clearing, and Annabeth saw Percy leaning on a tree. Percy looked confused, but he smiled when he saw her. "What's Percy doing here?"

"I know that your boyfriend can help you find the strength to do what must be done," Eirene replied. She looked around and nodded slightly. Annabeth heard footsteps behind her, and she turned. Two figures appeared out of the shadows. "They are just my peacekeepers, Annabeth Chase."

"Is something going to happen at the wedding?" Annabeth asked. Eirene only smiled and shook her head. The goddess of peace motioned for her peacekeepers to step away. They did without hesitation.

"I'm sorry. You two are just the most valuable things in this world. We have much to do," Eirene said. She gently grabbed Annabeth's arm. "We have to bring peace to the world. It took me a very long time to learn that you were the one who would help me bring that peace. There is much we must do, but are you ready?"

Annabeth slowly looked at the peacekeepers. They were all dressed in Greek armor and wore cowls on their heads. It was impossible to see their faces, but they were relaxed. It didn't look like they were threats. Annabeth looked at Percy, who just looking completely confused.

"I told Chiron we were going to look for your cousin early," Percy said. "I caught sight of Reyna and thought it would be best if we didn't stick around. I don't think Hylla will care that we missed her wedding. We can help Eirene and then go find that cousin."

Annabeth looked at Percy and smiled. She turned to look at Eirene. It would be nice to get away, especially since the camps were back on the feet and in good hands. If helping Eirene meant bringing peace, she didn't see how it could go wrong. Annabeth spoke, "I'm ready."

* * *

 **This is the last chapter of this story. It has been quite a journey, but thank you to everyone for going on it with me. I hope you're here for the final sequel.**


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